Trehane Trust scholars emphasise changing nature of dairy

The recent Trehane Trust dinner in London UK was lively and full of questions for he British dairy industry, mostly about what the face of the future will look like. The scholars, who have either travelled globally to look at other farming systems or are in the process of doing so, came back with a lot of good ideas. Kevin Beaty (pictured) pointed out that a lot of the farms overseas are getting bigger, and there are Nocton-sized dairy farms in other countries. He says that new emerging markets such as China and India are going to push the dairy consumers into the future.
In his study, he compared consumer attitudes towards farmers. British consumers have a good attitude towards farmers overall, unlike countries such as the US where there is little or no connection between the consumer and farmer, he says. China has lost the trust of consumers due to the continuing milk scandals, and this has benefitted the New Zealand industry. However, Beatty warned the audience that British consumers must be educated as to how dairy farms operate, so that progress can be made in the industry.
Other scholars include Phil Darke, a fourth generation farmer, David Helier, who runs 400 cows, and Rhys Williams. For further information on how to apply for and to support the Trehane Trust scholarships, please contact Simon Bates at Dairy UK: [email protected]