Farmer auctions entire dairy herd

Every cow was sold to the highest bidder regardless of its price

An East Sussex farmer has taken his entire herd of cows and dairy equipment to auction claiming that falling milk prices have forced him out of business.

John Cornwell, from Barcombe, has been earning about 17p per litre of milk, compared to about 25p in 1995.

The move ends 114 years of dairy farming by his family at Camoys Court Farm, where the auction of his 254 Holstein Friesian cows was held.

Mr Cornwell said he could trace some of his calves back 17 generations.

"It is a sorry state of affairs - these cows have been part of us, and naturally we get quite fond of them, but also the fact is that we've been breeding them for generations," he said.

Tuesday's auction saw some of the cows being bought for more than £1,000 each, with every animal being sold to the highest bidder regardless of its price.

The farm is now set to diversify, and will look at beef and arable crops.