Recommendations made for the UK dairy industry to stay competitive into the future
At a dairy industry seminar, the Dairy Science Forum (DSF) presented a series of recommendations which would help protect the future competitiveness and sustainability of the dairy farming sector.
The event focused the proposals, outlined in three strategy documents, on the key issues of: Research and Development, Knowledge Exchange, and Animal Health and Welfare.
The three strategy papers were presented at the seminar held at Porthcullis House, Westminster in London, with invited guests from throughout the dairy sector, and hosted by MP Rory Stewart. The presentations were followed by group discussions on the three areas, allowing further suggestions to be put forward by individuals from the sector.
The seminar was successful in that support for the Dairy Science Forum’s recommendations was very strong and there was a great deal of consensus on the key points. DSF chairman David Black was delighted with the day: “We aimed to help align the thinking throughout the dairy industry, by producing these strategy papers and identifying what we saw as the key issues.
“By coordinating R&D across UK and Europe more effectively, and by addressing the need for excellent knowledge exchange at all levels of the industry, we are in a position to empower farmers and advisers with the information they need, and give access to evidence based science so that the UK industry becomes ever more vibrant and competitive in world markets.
“Addressing the needs of the animals themselves, and looking at the preferences of domestic animals so that they are healthy and productive, is the very basis of animal welfare – and at the same time, education of the purchasers of products and the wider society results in a better understanding of the value of farming.”
Mr Black added that it was hoped that the recommendations and discussion points in the three strategy papers will make a contribution to current efforts to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of UK dairying.
The three strategy documents can be downloaded from the Dairy Science Forum’s website: www.dairyscienceforum.org
