Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought
Record heatwaves and drought in England and Wales have led to increased demand for Scottish milk supplies.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
<i>(Image: PA)</i>
Photograph: Glasgow Times (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The UK recorded its hottest summer in 2026, with five major heatwaves and widespread drought declarations.
- Mossgiel Organic Dairy sent approximately 56,000 litres of organic milk to England and Wales due to supply issues caused by the drought.
- UK daily milk collections are running 3.7% lower than the same week last year, with producers in England and Wales facing severe pressure.
- Bryce Cunningham, founder of Mossgiel Organic Dairy, reported a surge in demand from businesses in England and Wales and warned of climate change impacts.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 7 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
20/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Scotland's farmers are being called upon to help address food supply shortages in England and Wales, which have been severely impacted by extreme heat and drought. An Ayrshire-based organic dairy producer has seen a significant increase in demand from businesses south of the border.
Bryce Cunningham, founder of Mossgiel Organic Dairy, stated that the drought has created serious supply issues across the dairy industry, amplifying existing difficulties in obtaining organic milk at this time of year. He reported receiving multiple urgent requests from businesses seeking milk supplies. As of 11 September, Mossgiel Organic Dairy had dispatched around 56,000 litres of organic milk to England and Wales. The company was also asked to supply an additional 40,000 litres but lacked the capacity to do so.
Across the UK, daily milk collections are approximately 1.24 million litres, or 3.7%, lower than in the same week last year, according to figures from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. While Mossgiel Organic Dairy has experienced some heat stress among its cows, Scottish producers have generally avoided the most severe weather impacts. However, Mr Cunningham expressed concern that climate change could lead to more frequent and disruptive events, questioning if this is the new normal for agriculture.
Disagreement on drought impact
The Glasgow Times and The Herald Scotland reported that Scottish producers have largely avoided the worst effects of the weather this year. The Independent (US) and perspectivemedia.com stated that food and milk producers in England and Wales have come under increasing pressure from extreme heat and drought, and Scottish producers have said they are looking north to fill in the gaps. The Evening Standard reported that England and Wales are looking to Scotland as drought puts pressure on milk supplies.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mention the specific figure of 56,000 litres of organic milk sent south by Mossgiel Organic Dairy, nor do they state that the company was asked to supply an additional 40,000 litres but did not have the capacity. The reports also do not mention the figure of 1.24 million litres (3.7%) lower UK daily milk collections than the same week last year, which was attributed to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 21 Sept 2026, 08:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
The UK experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, with five intense heatwaves alongside historic dry spells that triggered widespread drought declarations and hosepipe bans across much of the nation. <i>(Image: Megumi Nachev on Unsplash)</i>
The Herald Scotland — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports from The Herald Scotland, The Independent, The Independent (US), and perspectivemedia.com focused on the drought's impact on food and milk producers in England and Wales. They highlighted the increased demand for Scottish milk and quoted Bryce Cunningham's concerns about climate change and the potential for such extreme weather events to become the norm. The Herald Scotland also noted that Scottish producers have largely avoided the worst effects of the weather this year, while The Independent and The Independent (US) specifically mentioned the warning of a milk shortage due to the strain on supply.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports from the Glasgow Times and the Evening Standard led with Scotland stepping in to help fill supply gaps in England and Wales due to drought and record heat. Both outlets highlighted Mossgiel Organic Dairy's role in sending milk south and quoted Bryce Cunningham on the surge in demand and the impact of the weather. The Glasgow Times also included comments from Angus Morrison of Lost Orchards on the impact of climate change on fruit production.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 33% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 7. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought biased?
- Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Scottish dairy sends milk south amid UK drought?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What caused the milk supply issues in England and Wales?
- The UK experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, with five major heatwaves and widespread drought declarations. This extreme weather led to poor grazing conditions, stunted harvests, and heat stress on livestock, severely impacting food and milk production in England and Wales.
- How much milk did Mossgiel Organic Dairy send to England and Wales?
- Mossgiel Organic Dairy sent approximately 56,000 litres of organic milk south to England and Wales. The company was also asked to supply an additional 40,000 litres but did not have the capacity to fulfil the request.
- How are UK milk collections affected by the drought?
- UK daily milk collections are running around 1.24 million litres, or 3.7%, lower than the same week last year. This reduction is attributed to the impacts of heat stress and drought on producers across the country.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Scottish dairy sends 56,000 litres of milk south to England amid drought shortages (opens The Herald Scotland in a new tab)
The Herald Scotland — is The Herald Scotland biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Milk shortage warning as drought puts major strain on supply (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Milk shortage warning as drought puts major strain on supply (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- England and Wales look to Scotland as drought puts pressure on milk supplies (opens perspectivemedia.com in a new tab)
perspectivemedia.com — is perspectivemedia.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2- Scotland steps in as drought and record heat spark food supply fears (opens Glasgow Times in a new tab)
Glasgow Times — is Glasgow Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- England and Wales look to Scotland as drought puts pressure on milk supplies (opens Evening Standard in a new tab)
Evening Standard — is Evening Standard biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
More in Climate
All Climate →![On the far left, small farmer Janez Jambrosic roasts his potatoes in vegetable oil. His harvest was cut in half this year due to the drought [Veronica Snoj/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_1566-1789646433.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)
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