Ten south west dairy farmers are needed in a project looking at how to improve the long term future of dairy farming in western Europe.
In partnership with AHDB, Duchy College are on the look out for farmers in the south west of England to join the four year project.
The British farmers will join other Dairy-4-Future project partners from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. It will run for four years from 2018 until the end of 2021.
Dairy farming is a critically important economic activity in the Atlantic region of Europe that faces the challenges of market volatility and climatic hazards as well as the need for more efficient use of natural resources to improve competitiveness.
From Scotland to the Azores, the Dairy-4-Future project aims to increase the resilience of dairy farms through the development of efficient dairy systems and increased cooperation between research and development groups.
Critical to the success of the project is the involvement of 10 pilot dairy farms from each region.
A budget of €2,000 (£1,770) per farm has been allocated for each pilot farmer to attend workshops and visit other farmers from the other participating regions.
An integral aspect of the project will be the analysis of sustainability on 100 pilot dairy farms across the eight countries involved.
It is essential these pilot farms are family farms typical of the region, i.e. above-average dairy farms in terms of technical and economic performance, while at the same time being relevant to other farmers in the region in terms of farm size and cow numbers.
Successful farmers will have the opportunity to travel and meet others, receive benchmarking reports on financial performance and on the carbon-footprint of the farm. Farmers will also receive regular technical publications and research updates as the project progresses.
Applicants have been asked to contact Stephen Roderick on 01209 722148, by mobile on 07715 164606 or by email to s.roderick@cornwall.ac.uk
