On Wednesday NFU President Meurig Raymond, NFU Dairy Board Chairman Michael Oakes and Vice Chairman Tom Rawson attended a House of Lords Dairy Industry Collaboration and Technical Development Forum by invitation of Baroness Byford DBE. The Forum, chaired by Neil Parish MP, Chair of the EFRA Committee brings together key individuals from the dairy industry and supply chain, as well as Government officials from the Department for International Trade.
The Forum was designed to appeal to progressive dairy farmers, with a focus on business development and production techniques. Kantar set the scene on dairy market dynamics and consumer attitudes to dairy, including the way UK consumers are changing dairy buying habits and how consumers are changing internationally including the USA and China. This was followed by other organisations who covered precision dairy production, animal health and novel technologies. With a focus on exports, one company presented on building a strong and successful brand from scratch in the drinks industry, demonstrating what was possible. NFU President Meurig Raymond also spoke to the Forum about the current situation in the dairy industry.
Speaking after the event Dairy Board Chairman Michael Oakes said: “The initiative for this Forum was good, we need more collaboration in the industry. As part of our Dairy Board strategy we are calling for better, fairer supply chain relationships, which are essential to add value to the industry going forwards. The focus on technology was also welcome as not only is it important for the sector, but there is a call for more innovation and research in agriculture as a whole post-Brexit.”