Charlie Taverner, March 2015. Photo: © FLPA/REX

Dairy farming is about to face its biggest change in more than 30 years. European quotas end on 1 April, launching farmers into free markets with no limits on their production. See also: Milk quote abolition: Everything farmers need to know

When quotas arrived in 1984 it was a different world – Do They Know It’s Christmas? was the top-selling single, Margaret Thatcher lived in Number 10 and one-pound notes were finally pulled from circulation. Dairy farming looked very different too. In numbers, here’s what’s changed in UK dairy over the years – hover over the illustrations for more information. Read more