Dairy Sector Chair Update - July 2024

Dear Dairy Scheme Member,

Following this month’s sector board meeting, I am writing to update you on key discussions as part of the meeting on Monday 1st July.

Firstly, the board were very pleased to welcome Jonathan Wilkinson as a new member. Jonathan is the current Dairy Board Chair for NFU Cymru. It was great to hear his thoughts and share views across the devolved nations. Jonathan comes from a third-generation dairy farm in Mid Wales and will provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to the board.

We discussed some interim standards changes that are coming in later in the year largely in line with industry requirements around the use of medicines and nutrient management planning. The board was able to discuss how we implement these changes to reflect the requirements but also how to have the least impact on farms and assessment burden.

The remainder of the meeting was given over to an open, round-the-table discussion on what farm assurance will look like in the years ahead. Particularly, how practically we can deliver robust assurance that gives our customers, at home and abroad, confidence that British agriculture produces food to high standards and yet does not put any additional burden of paperwork, cost and audit time onto the whole supply chain. This was only the first step in this discussion which will be wide and far reaching and will, I am sure, be carried on and refined as a part of board meetings to come. There were discussions around the use of technology and the value of data within the dairy industry which may be utilised in assisting the audit process to improve efficiency and reduce burden.

An important discussion had was around the potential for Red Tractor to support the industry in export promotion. We shall keep you updated on the progress of these discussions over the coming months.

Best regards, Tim Lock,

Chair, Red Tractor Dairy Board