Buffalo milk farmer under threat

The herd of water buffalo were imported from Romania in 1998

A farmer who has pioneered buffalo milk consumption says he is having trouble making ends meet.

Nick Griffin, who farms at Slapton near Leighton Buzzard, is having to sell off some stock and put up his prices.

One of the reasons for his plight is that wild buffalo produce a lot less milk than domestic cattle.

He says under normal circumstances he would probably sell up completely but is heartened by the stories of the health benefits buffalo milk can bring.

Tough time

"At the end of the day the farm is under 300 acres and that is small by today's standards," he said.

"If I'd been in conventional dairy farming I would have gone out of business long ago.

"Dairy farmers are having a tough time but their cows can produce 25 litres of milk a day while I get 5 litres from each of my buffalo.

"But I'm going to carry on as long as possible because many people with a wide range of conditions say the milk helps them."