In five years’ time, will UK dairy be in a better place than today - or a worse place? We asked industry experts for their views.
Judith Bryans, CEO, Dairy UK
“The dairy industry is vibrant and innovative. In five years we will have a greater understanding of our new trading environment as we’ll be post Brexit. Innovation, investment, promotion and stability will allow UK dairy to emerge stronger than before.”
Mark Taylor, MD, Lactalis McLelland
“I continue to be optimistic about the future of dairy. Market fundamentals continue to be positive. As an industry we have proved how resilient we are and that we have the ability to adapt to meet challenges and opportunities. That said, we have pressing economic and policy issues to address in the near term, which also have longer term consequences. At the risk of sounding clichéd, stakeholders need to work ever more closely together, at pace, to deliver success, both at home, and outside the UK.”
Tomas Pietrangeli, MD, Arla Foods UK
“Our industry faces significant challenges but also opportunities. As we invest in world-class innovation to meet changing consumer tastes, I am confident that UK dairy will continue to grow in 2022 and beyond.”
Mark Allen, CEO, Dairy Crest
“The UK is a fantastic place to produce milk from which some of the highest quality innovative dairy products are made. As global demand for these products is increasing, I am optimistic for the future.”
Andrew McInnes, MD, Müller Milk & Ingredients
“The scale of the opportunity is substantial - that’s why our business is investing so heavily here. Brexit raises significant and as yet unanswered questions, particularly around support for farmers, access to markets and availability of labour. But the fundamentals are strong and dairy in the UK should be optimistic and ambitious for its future.”
Liz Sutton, co-founder and director of Delamere Dairy, and PTF chair
“Much will depend on how and on what terms we exit the EU and how lengthy any transition to new trade deals is. The jury may still be out in five years’ time but I trust the dairy industry is resilient and creative enough to be confident that it will look back in 10 years’ time, having forgotten our anxieties in 2017!
Neil Kennedy, chairman, Crediton Dairy
“Better! We have to believe in that and work hard to make it so!”
Richard Clothier, MD, Wyke Farms
“We have to make it a better place. We must see Brexit as an opportunity to seize affluent new markets in new regions, leveraging our world-leading assurance standards and quality. UK dairy has every reason to be positive that the growing populations across the world will be receptive to UK dairy products, especially if we can produce them more sustainably.”
Michael Oakes, NFU Dairy Board chairman and dairy farmer
“I truly hope that we will be in a better place in five years’ time. That said, the continued uncertainty around Brexit and what trade, labour, domestic agricultural policy and regulatory environments we will be functioning in is anyone’s guess, as MPs seem to be gambling with our future, and it’s likely that agriculture will be the loser as we continue to hear about cheap food and free markets. Rest assured, the NFU is continuing to lobby hard on all these issues on behalf of our farming members.”
No comments yet