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Newsletter January 9, 2024
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UK - Supporting promotion of British dairy products
In his New Year message, NFU Dairy Board chair Michael Oakes looked at the increasing global demand for dairy and the sector's needs ahead of the 2024 general election. "Most people thought the high prices in 2022 wouldn't last forever, but few expected them to drop down to the levels we have seen. While some input prices have fallen a bit, we know that for many producers the cost of production remains above the farmgate milk price."
'Crisis of confidence:' "Our dairy intentions survey highlighted the crisis of confidence felt by many dairy farmers in 2023, with over 30% of producers unsure whether they will still be producing milk in two years' time. However, travelling around the country I meet many hugely committed, progressive farmers producing some of the most sustainable, low emission, high welfare dairy products in the world. It is vital that we secure supportive regulatory, trading and environmental frameworks to ensure dairy has a long-term, resilient future."
While the scale of investment needed on farm to meet new regulations can be quite daunting, the NFU will continue to lobby government to develop schemes such as the Slurry Infrastructure grant to ensure they are fit for purpose, accessible and support producers to invest.
With a general election on the horizon, it is critical we have a supportive government in place which recognises the value of a strong domestic agriculture sector to the UK's food safety and security. Globally, demand for dairy continues to grow and the UK is well placed to meet this demand. This is why the NFU helped to set up and facilitate the Dairy Export Taskforce, to reduce barriers to trade and improve market access. Dairy was also the only agricultural sector to secure funding to help promote exports at the No.10 Farm to Fork Summit in 2023.
We have since seen the launch of the Dairy Export Programme which aims to support the promotion of British dairy products around the world. Ahead of the election, we will be lobbying all parties to ensure party manifestos include commitments focused on supporting UK agriculture and food production. It is vital that we secure supportive regulatory, trading and environmental frameworks to ensure dairy has a long-term, resilient future.
NFUonline
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UK - Warwick Agri-Tech ploughs the future with robotics
The University of Warwick and Warwick Agri-Tech, aims to support the UK to meet climate targets while enabling the production of enough nutritious food for the growing population. It will combine two world class faculties at WMG at The University of Warwick and the School of Life Sciences (SLS), working with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to spearhead automation in areas such as horticulture, crops and forestry.
Robots will be a key tool for farmers as food production comes under increasing pressure. There is a constant demand to grow enough high quality, nutritious food to feed an expanding human population, and to do so in a way that won't harm the planet.
According to scientists, the UK will need to produce 50% more food by 2050, while reducing land consumption by 50%. This is further challenged by labour shortages, a broken food system and the fact we are overusing the Earth's biocapacity (the capability of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and to absorb waste). The University of Warwick is in a unique position to tackle these issues and develop farming technology, with expertise in both automation and life science.
Warwick Agri-Tech was born out of an initial project which developed a crop monitoring robot (Crombot) to move autonomously up and down glasshouses and check fruit for ripeness. Projects now include:
An Autonomous Logistics Project - developing an autonomous vehicle to help horticultural companies to optimise their product handling logistics. A Smart Tree Production System - Warwick Agri-Tech is working with J&A Growers, who are the leading UK growers of quality bareroot trees and hedging, to autonomously sort and grade sapling trees. This will ensure resilience against labour shortages and is scalable in the face of the UK's ambitious tree planting targets. Autonomous Precision Application - creating an autonomous, AI-based weed control robot, to reduce utilisation of herbicides by over 90% - improving soil health and biodiversity.
The University's leading crop research centre at based at the Innovation Campus, Stratford-upon-Avon is a leading, 200-hectare agricultural research site. Scientists at the University will collaborate directly with industry partners and the Government to drive implementation of new technology in the farming sector.
youtube.com/watch?v=vXC3jzqrga0
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UK - Dairy farmers recognised in 2024 New Year honours list
Two dairy farmers from Somerset and Coleraine in Northern Ireland have made it onto the 2024 New Year Honours List, recognising their selfless service to others.
Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis was awarded a knighthood for his contributions to music and charity. He founded the festival on his Somerset farm in 1970, where he still runs a thriving herd of 500 dairy cows. Sir Michael is also a finalist in the 2023 NMR/ RABDF Gold Cup Award announced at next month's Dairy-Tech on 7 February. In a Q+A about his Knighthood on the festival's website, he said: "The farm has been a fantastic part of my life. We're finalists for the Gold Cup again this year, the UK's premier dairy herds competition. The judges were here earlier this month (December), and we'll find out if we've won in February. So that's a big deal, too. Well, it is to me anyway!"
Adam Watson, a dairy farmer from Coleraine, County Londonderry, was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to mental health in the farming community in Northern Ireland. Watson helped raise awareness of the difficulties faced by Northern Ireland's farmers when he wrote a blog about his own battle with depression. In 2019, he also spoke openly at several events about his struggles to help raise awareness of mental health in farming.
RABDF Managing Director Matthew Knight says he's delighted to see recognition for individuals going above and beyond in the dairy industry. "Sir Michael is a familiar face in the dairy industry, not only as the Glastonbury Festival organiser but as a farmer investing and driving forward one of the most advanced dairy systems. Sir Michael won the NMR RABDF Gold Cup 10 years ago and is shortlisted for the 2023 award. The farm has changed considerably over the past decade thanks to the adoption of technology, being clear innovators in the sector, and continuously challenging what is 'normal' in dairy farming," he said.
"It's also excellent to see Adam honoured for raising awareness of the mental health struggles in farming. It's an ever-growing issue with the financial and legislative challenges of farming and the isolated working environment. We are passionate about raising awareness of it, and we thank Adam for his hard work in sharing his story and going above and beyond to help others," Knight said.
Finalists named in 2023 NMR RABDF Gold Cup
Four UK dairy businesses have been named as finalists in the 2023 NMR RABDF Gold Cup and the winner will be named at the national dairy event, Dairy-Tech, on February 7, 2024. Bisterne Farms, Sandford, Ringwood, Hampshire; Michael Eavis, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset; William and Stuart Graham, Maguiresbridge, Co Fermanagh; Joe Ives, W&P Ives, Herriard, Basingstoke, Hampshire. More than 1,200 UK dairy herds met the Gold Cup 2023 criteria for the year ending September 2022 and were invited to enter to award. The qualifying criteria was: More than 100 cows/heifers with qualifying lactations in the milking herd; annual somatic cell count average of 200,000 cells/ml or less, or 250,000 cells/ml for organic herds; minimum £PLI value specific to the breed, or minimum £SCI or £ACI value.
The winners of the NMR Silver Salver, The Lilyhill Cup and the Chairman's Cup awarded to qualifying Gold Cup herds with the highest combined fat and protein production for their breed, and the Chris May Memorial award for the herd with the highest lifetime daily yield will also be awarded at Dairy-Tech, on the NMR stand at 4pm.
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UK - Strategic Dairy farmers travel for new cohort meeting
New, current, and former members of AHDB's Strategic Dairy Farm programme gathered at Dyson Farming estate, Lincolnshire last month for a meeting aimed at planning the journeys and key focus points for the 10 farms in the new cohort.
The two-day event provided an opportunity for networking, knowledge sharing, and farm tours, including a visit to Dyson Farming's sites to see the technology they are developing. The farmers identified key areas of focus for the upcoming year, such as healthy soils, youngstock management, genetics, and labour retention, to support each other in the program.
AHDB's Strategic Dairy Farm programme is designed to share the stories of farms using different systems and bring farms together to support each other. Read more about the meeting.
AHDB'S new dairy marketing campaign
Our new bold and exciting Let's Eat Balanced campaign launched on 1 January 2024 with three brand new TV adverts showcasing British dairy, beef and lamb. Have you spotted any of our ads?
AHDB
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UK - New year, new opportunities for farmers with free support
The Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) has limited places on its free 2023/24 Farm for the Future programme for farming families in England, with workshops taking place on business and environmental topics commencing this month (January 2024). The year ahead may be daunting the farming community, facing existing and new challenges, however, this programme aims to connect and support and make 2024 a successful, happy new year.
Over three years, Farm for the Future has achieved impressive results with 95% of participating farms saying they have increased confidence in their ability to plan for the future. With an abundance of positive feedback, the programme has people and their welfare at its core - which reflects the values of the RCF. Inspired by its founder, HM King Charles III, The Royal Countryside Fund acts as a catalyst, enabling change and developing resilience, working with local partners who deliver the bespoke programmes of support.
Workshop on business efficiency include: Workshop on environmental scheme; Get to know your local farming community; Bespoke workshops tailored to your interests; Ongoing & one-to-one support. As well as in-person groups in 18 regions across England, also offered is a virtual group allowing farmers to access support within their own home.
Limited places across England are available - to find your local group, visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmforthefuture. To learn more about the virtual Farm for the Future programme contact Christina Hutchings via email virtual.group@outlook.com or call 07715 353546
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UK - Dealing with labour issues on Northern Ireland dairy farms
A recent dairy conference, organised by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), in Ballynahinch opened the debate about farm labour and workload management on Northern Ireland dairy farms. Guests on the day heard from four key speakers on the topics of labour efficiency, the psychology of people and the importance of looking after yourself as the farmer. After the event one dairy farmer described his experience of the event in a fitting manner - "It's not about reinventing the wheel - it's simply learning how to grease it!"
The conference was opened by Chris Osborne UFU and the presentations began with an overview of a recent CAFRE Labour Study where CAFRE Dairy Adviser Anna Truesdale outlined some of the key findings. The average dairy farmer in the study was working 66 hours per week, and Anna explained how this average figure masked the range of working hours. She commented: "There were farmers in the survey regularly working upwards of 80 hours per week". In terms of sustainability and attracting the next generation into the industry, Anna highlighted how the average weekly hours across the rest of the UK labour market was just over 36 hours and: "If dairy farming is to be an attractive and competitive industry within the labour market, we need to make our farms somewhere where people want to work."
At the conference, over 80% of attendees thought they did 'too much work on the farm' and a number of those in attendance hadn't had a single day away from the farm in the last three months. With that in mind, Anna urged participants to review their own farms and identify the most time-hungry tasks. She presented a few of the ideas that other farmers had suggested as ways in which they had 'saved time' within their own businesses. These included use of heat and health monitors, cubicle bedders and milk taxi's as well as reviewing the efficiency of infrastructure, for example adding laneways within the overall layout of the farm. She suggested farmers take 'a cows-eye view' in terms of analysing cow flow through sheds as well as proposing a 'quick-fix' - that all gates on the farm should swing and as many jobs as possible should be made able to be done by just one person.
Following on from the CAFRE presention, Nollaig Heffernan of Heffernan Consultancy Ltd. delivered a detailed discussion on motivating and managing people. She explained how important it was for those in the room to have a 'why' - that is the 'why' behind their business and business model and urged farmers not to diminish the impact that investment in people can have on their bottom line.
Dealing with labour issues on Northern Ireland dairy farms | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)
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UK - Introducing the FeedAlert silo monitoring system
A revolutionary solution that digitises feed management in silos. This affordable technology provides low-cost inventory control data for all types of silos, making it accessible to users across the board.
The installation is quick and simple, as the monitoring sensor can be easily attached to any silo leg. Users can access their silo data through a free app, which displays information such as capacity, weight, usage history, and forecast. Timely alerts notify users of low-level statuses to prompt ordering.
The system is cost-effective starting from £450 and offers reliable weight-based measurements. Retrofit systems are available for all makes of silos, making it adaptable to various setups.
Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Diary Farmer, Richard Wheelwright has had his systems operating for over 12 months and it is improving feed management on farm; 'We monitor feed levels and order in good time, it stops us running out of feed basically' 'The resulting cost of running out of feed is more than the investment, FeedAlert gives us peace of mind, it's fantastic and very cost effective.'
Users can choose to share data visibility with their feed supplier for better decision-making support.
Overall, this system combines cost-effectiveness with reliability and versatility, making it an attractive choice for everyone.
With Collinson's 60 years of experience in the industry, the FeedAlert range ensures robust and reliable equipment.
For more information on FeedAlert visit feedalert.co.uk or call 01995 606451 option 5.
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Global frenzy for Scottish 'smelly' cheese
A Scottish cheesemaker who made headlines around the world with their "smelliest" offering has said the international attention was actually a marketing "disaster" - because they didn't have enough to sell. Highland Fine Cheeses, in Tain, started producing the smelly "Minger" seven years ago - but the media frenzy only began in December after the MailOnSunday branded them the world's smelliest cheese following a press piece from Asda to say they would be stocking the cheese. In the days that followed, Stone was flying cheese down to the Good Morning Britain team, taking calls from outlets including the New York Times and ABC Melbourne, and appearing on news sites as far afield as Israel and New Zealand.
TheNational.Scot
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Danone offloads US organic dairy assets
French dairy giant Danone has sold its US-based Horizon Organic and Wallaby units to local investment business Platinum Equity for an undisclosed fee.The Alpro and Activia brands owner said the disposal is part of its Renew Danone turnaround strategy, announced in March 2022. The strategy includes the disposal of what CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique described at the time as "under-performers". Announcing the deal (2 January), Danone said the organic dairy units represented approximately 3% of its global revenues. "As part of our Renew Danone strategy, we committed to a portfolio review and asset rotation for businesses that fell outside our priority growth areas of focus to drive value creation."
JustFood
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