Fresh milk should make way for long-life, farmers are told

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They claim the move would help curb carbon emissions by cutting down on waste and by reducing the need for refrigeration.

The idea was savaged by farmers yesterday. Jim Begg, of industry group Dairy UK, said many consumers preferred the taste of fresh milk.

"UHT is not a new product, consumers can decide for themselves whether they want to buy it," he added.

"To move in such a dramatic way seems a little bit odd. No evidence has been produced to support this."

Gwyn Jones, a West Sussex farmer and chairman of the National Farmers' Union dairy board, said: "To suggest that consumers should be forced to change their drinking habits to UHT is preposterous."

The Daily Mail revealed in May that DEFRA - the Department for the Environment, Food and Regional Affairs - has been considering promoting a switch away from meat and milk.

Farm animals produce huge amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

A draft document drawn up by officials calls for 90 per cent of milk supplies not to need refrigeration by 2020. The document has been strongly criticised in industry consultation.

It is likely that any switch away from fresh milk would rely on the cooperation of the dairy industry, shops and customers rather than on new legislation.

A DEFRA spokesman said: "The Government is not and will not be telling people what kind of milk to drink.

"The Government's role is, however, to provide the facts to help us make informed choices based on a range of considerations, one of which is the need to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Pressure on milk prices has seen more than 2,000 dairy farms go out of business in the past four years.