Cornish dairy grants top £1 million
See two case studies
Dairy Collect, the Cornwall Enterprise service which uses Objective One money to make the Cornish dairy farming more sustainable, has now awarded over one million pounds in grants to local farms.
Set against a background of declining milk prices and pessimism about the British dairy industry’s prospects, Dairy Collect is a £2.29 million project helping Cornish dairy farms to build for the future.
The latest round of grant approvals means that 89 different farms will now benefit from a combined total of £1,042,423 in funding to improve facilities for milk storage, collection and transport. And with a further 88 applications already in the pipeline for the remaining £1.25 million, any other local farmers considering potential bids will need to be quick.
John Berry, Managing Director of Cornwall Enterprise, comments: “Dairy farming is a longstanding and important part of Cornwall’s economy, and the goal of Dairy Collect is to ensure it is robust and sustainable, ready for a competitive future. The benefits of funding awarded to farmers in all parts of the county will have a significant knock-on effect for local prosperity.”
The scheme aims to help Cornish farms to improve milk storage arrangements, so that milk is chilled more efficiently and in larger quantities, and buyers’ tankers can visit every other day, rather than daily. Farmers can apply for up to 40% of the cost of eligible projects such as bigger and better storage tanks, energy saving measures, and access for larger, articulated collection tankers.
Although changing collection arrangements seems only a small change, the resulting volume bonuses from milk buyers and reduced overhead costs can quickly mount up – having a considerable impact on a farm’s profitability.
Lostwithiel farmer Peter Denton explains: “With the volume bonus and reduced collection costs, we can save anything up to £25 or £30 per day. When you also consider that the more efficient cooling cuts as much as £4 every day from the electricity bill, you’re looking at an extra £10,000 or more a year.
“When the milk price is falling, and you’re working hard for not much profit, that’s a very significant difference.”
The farm improvements are good news for the environment, local residents and consumers, too. Half as many collections mean hundreds of thousands fewer miles by tankers on local roads. Likewise, more efficient milk cooling uses less electricity and water, and results in higher quality milk.
The scheme’s Manager, Elizabeth Menmuir, says: “More efficient milk collection is already making Cornish dairy farms more sustainable and competitive for the long term. It also cuts fuel emissions, pollution and food miles, which is great news for everybody.
“However, we have a very limited amount of time and grant funding remaining, so I’d strongly urge any other farmers who might be eligible to contact the team immediately, at Cornwall Enterprise’s Truro offices.”
