Trust announces £15,000 scholarship to create 'UK dairy strategy post-Brexit'

The Trehane Trust is a charity whose main aim is to encourage research and education into dairying
The Trehane Trust is a charity whose main aim is to encourage research and education into dairying

A new scholarship of £15,000 to investigate a pressing strategic topic within the dairy supply chain has been announced by The Trehane Trust.

The bursary, to be called the Trehane Dairy Fellowship, will be awarded every two years.

Expressions of interest are now being accepted for its first study – identifying a ‘Strategy for the UK Dairy Industry Post-Referendum’.

Trehane Trust chairman Wynne Jones says the concept for the fellowship has been developed over the past year.

But the pressing need for a plan for the dairy industry following the EU Referendum vote has spurred the Trust to launch the bursary now.

"We are expecting the study to run over a nine month period during which the recipient, who will have strong analytical skills, political understanding and international industry connections, will mainly conduct desk research – but with some European and international travel to policy centres for essential meetings," he says.

"This is going to have to be an efficient, focused exercise to get the insight the industry needs in time to use it effectively.

"We aim to select a recipient by the end of September, at which point we should all have a better idea of the UK’s response to the referendum outcome.

"The recipient will be asked to report back by July 2017 so that the findings can help inform negotiations and policy development."

The Trehane Trust is best known for its sponsorship of dairy-focused Nuffield Scholars, and this bursary will also be managed by the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.

The funds can awarded to either a UK or overseas resident, and they can be an independent freelancer or someone who would like to accommodate the study within their day job.