This is the strapline of the NFU’s latest lobbying activity to eliminate unfair commercial practices within the dairy supply chain. We want to see fair dealings between farmers and dairy companies and would like the Government to raise the benchmark by setting out certain minimum standards for milk contracts. Find out more here...
British dairy farmers produce nutritious, farm-assured milk to world leading standards of quality, hygiene, welfare and environmental care.
In addition, dairy farming makes a vital contribution to the nation’s countryside, communities, economy and consumers. There are currently 13,500 dairy farmers in Great Britain, milking 1.6 million dairy cows and producing 11 billion litres of milk a year.
Britain’s dairy farmers are committed, enterprising and incredibly hard-working. The key issues facing the British dairy sector remain the core focus for the NFU Dairy Board. Recent work includes:
NFU Milk Contracts Campaign - aims to ensure milk contracts evolve to bring greater fairness to relationships between milk producers and processors- Lobbying on reducing the impact of NVZ regulation on dairy farms
- Lobbying for reductions in the inspection and regulatory burden on dairy farms
- Fighting for successful outcomes for British dairy farmers in Europe
- Health and Welfare - working on bTB, Bluetongue and developed the Dairy Cow Welfare Strategy
- Challenging and responding to negative media attention on animal welfare, environmental and climate change issues
Meet the NFU Dairy Board
Chairman - Mansel Raymond
Mansel was elected National Chairman in March 2010. He farms 2,700 acres near Letterston in partnership with his twin brother Meurig and their wives. They have two dairy herds plus young stock and a herd of beef cattle. Arable cropping consists of winter barley and oilseed rape; spring oilseed rape and malting barley as well as potatoes. During the winter up to 2,000 store lambs are fattened.
Mr Raymond has held a number of positions within the NFU including vice chair of the national NFU Milk Committee and chairman of the Welsh Milk Committee - a position he held when he was elected National Chair.
Vice Chairman - Nigel Stacey
Nigel milks 180 cows on 300 acres in north Buckinghamshire in partnership with his wife Sarah. The farm is predominantly grass, with a small area of maize also grown as supplementary feed. Milk is sold to Arla on a Tesco top-up contract and the farm also runs a small flock of Dorset ewes.
Nigel has been involved with dairy committees within the NFU for many years and has sat on the South East committee since its inception. Nigel enjoys all sport, occasionally picking up a hockey stick but hung up his rugby boots a long time ago. Nigel is also an avid Manchester United fan.
Brian Dalby (East Midlands)
Richard Davis (East Anglia)
Richard farms 300 acres in North Bedfordshire. He milks 120 cows, sells to First Milk and feeds his herd on a total mixed ration feeding system. The farm grows 90 acres of maize, 80 acres of wheat and the remaining land is down to grass. In addition to representing East Anglia on the NFU national dairy board, Richard is a director of First Milk and sits on numerous industry boards including DairyCo, Assured Farm Standards and the Royal Veterinary College Governing Body.
Michael Oakes (West Midlands)
A tenant farmer on the outskirts of Birmingham, Michael is married to Anne Marie with two grown up sons and a teenage daughter. Running a closed herd of 180 pedigree Holsteins, milk is sold to Milk Link, ending up at Cadburys with surplus heifers sold at calving. Michael has held various roles within the NFU, as the Worcestershire county chairman, West Midlands regional board chairman and Council Delegate. Outside the NFU he was a DFOB farmer director and is on the board of Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency and is Chairman of the West Midlands Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy. Joining the National Dairy Board in January 2011 he hopes to help lead discussions on the shape of the future British dairy industry.
David Shaw (North East)
David farms near York milking 320 Jersey cows, with 220 young stock. David was Chairman of Quality Milk Producers for seven years, and is currently a QMP board member. David has also been a Council member of the Jersey Cattle Society for 15 years. Prior to becoming North East Dairy Board Chairman, David was Vice-Chairman of the regional Dairy Board.
Paul Griffith (South West)
Paul farms 250 acres in Okehampton, Devon milking a herd of 140 British Freisian and Montbeliarde cattle. He supplies Milk Link on a liquid contract producing between 900,000 and a million litres. In his NFU career he has been branch, county and more recently regional chairman as well as a council delegate. He is currently a member of the TB Eradication Group. In his spare time he enjoys rugby and sailing.
Russell Bowman (North West)
Russell joined the National Board in March 2010. He farms 420 acres of severely disadvantaged land in Armathwaite, Carlisle. The farm consists 200 acres spring barley, 100 acres rotational grass and 120 acres permanent pasture all within the ELS and HLS schemes. Milk is sold to North Lakes Foods, Penrith. Other on-farm enterprises include all-year contract turkey rearing, stubble turnips let out to nearby sheep farmers, grain crimped and sold to local farmers, a self catering cottage,caravan site and caravan storage. All machinery work is done in house with no employed staff. Russell is interested in developing the new entrants, dairy technology and animal health agenda in his role on the National Board.
Jeremy Burdett
Farming on 320 hectares of Weald land in mid-Sussex, Jeremy runs an organic herd of 220 dairy cows, rearing replacements and running around 100 beef cattle. The organic herd is block calved and milk is produced largely from forage. Jeremy is Chairman of the Chailey NFU branch, and sits on the membership committee of OMSCO as the Milk Link representative.
Roger Lewis
Roger chairs the Next Generation Dairy Board. He is hugely passionate about the agricultural industry, especially the dairy sector. He farms in partnership with his parents in Cosheston, Pembrokeshire producing 2 million litres annually from the Poyerston herd of 225 autumn calving Holsteins. He is a past winner of the RABDF Dairy Student of the Year and Dairy Farmer of the Future awards. He has been heavily involved with the YFC and NFU both at local and national level. He is currently the Pembrokeshire milk committee chairman and sits on the Dairy Development Centre and Wales DairyCo steering groups. He is married to Sarah and has two young daughters.
Duncan Pullar - DairyCo Director
As interim DairyCo Director following Ken Boyns' move to AHDB Director of Market Intellegence, Duncan Pullar joined DairyCo from his previous role as Eblex Head of Research and Development.
- Richard Charmley - 06/06/2011
The press(country file) talke about we are going to have to have mega dairys to supply our milk. There used to be plenty OF dairy farmers to supply the milk and support the rural econamey but why have they sold up becaues of low milk prices over the last 14 years
- Ashley Barker - 03/06/2011
We are used to the idea of 'fair trade' to support third world coutry's agriculture, but we seem to have forgotten to support fair prices for dairy farmers in the UK.