Milk Suppliers Association to benefit from Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund

Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead, has announced that the Scottish Government is providing £2 million to fund five projects through the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF), including a project for the Milk Suppliers Association, led by SAOS, applying a lean management approach to milk production.

Through its work in the Market Driven Supply Chain, SAOS, a collaboration of Scotland’s experts on farmer co-ops and the food industry, has been able to identify the benefits of a supply chain approach, combined with a lean management process, to improve competitiveness. The pilot is for an innovative and interactive, lean management approach, to be delivered on a one to one basis, on farm.

Rory Christie, Chairman of the Milk Suppliers Association said: “We’re delighted to have been successful with this application. The aim is for greater efficiency, less waste and improved opportunities for profit from the farms that participate in the pilot.

It’s envisaged that the individual mapping and planning process will help farmers to utilise a structured approach, allowing them to make their businesses stronger and more resilient, and to keep continually improving. This will also result in a more economically sustainable milk pool.”

The KTIF grants will help promote skills development, knowledge transfer, and deliver on-the-ground improvements to the farming sector in Scotland. The other four recipients of these are:

• Wholesome Pigs Scotland Ltd – to develop innovative uses of emerging technologies to improve pig production efficiency

• QMS and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds – to establish nine innovative Monitor Farms across Scotland

• SAC Commercial – improving lamb survival and farm profitability

• AHDB Potatoes – to develop a Strategic Potato (SPot) Farm for Scotland

The Cabinet Secretary said: “This significant funding will help Scotland take advantage of its strong performance in research and development, and make sure that the learning from here and elsewhere can be transferred to on-the-ground improvements in agriculture, ensuring the flow of information and best practice farming into the community, where it can make a real difference to profits.”