Despite opposition from pressure groups, interest in super-dairies shows no signs of abating with news this week that a new large-scale operation is planned.
This week, farmer David Alvis revealed that he is looking to set up a 2,000 to 3,000-cow unit in Cambridgeshire in conjunction with a consortium of farmers.
"It will be a new model for the industry," said Alvis, as he presented a report into large scale farming to the RAC 100 Club at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. "I do not envisage the UK industry following the US route, but there are opportunities for large-scale dairying operations."
Alvis said the consortium hoped to secure a location for the farm, planning permission and the necessary finances in 2011, with a view to starting the development in 2012.
He is understood to have asked Dairy Crest whether it would consider sourcing milk from the farm.
However, Dairy Crest said it was too early to make a decision. "Until it is up and running and we've fully audited it, we couldn't answer that," said a spokesman.
News of Alvis' plans comes as Nocton Dairies is preparing to resubmit its planning application for a super-sized dairy in Lincolnshire.
The farmers behind the Nocton project said they had made significant changes to their plans in response to concerns from local residents, and now planned to keep fewer than the 8,000 cows originally envisaged.
One of the farmers, Peter Willes, said he hoped the new plans would be assessed "on their own merits" rather than through the lens of single-issue pressure groups.
'Super-dairies' are still relatively scarce in England, according to DairyCo. Census figures show that in 2009 there were only 12 holdings in England with 750-plus cows.
A recent DairyCo survey found that 63% of respondents felt a dairy farm would be too large if it had more than 300 cows.
This week, farmer David Alvis revealed that he is looking to set up a 2,000 to 3,000-cow unit in Cambridgeshire in conjunction with a consortium of farmers.
"It will be a new model for the industry," said Alvis, as he presented a report into large scale farming to the RAC 100 Club at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. "I do not envisage the UK industry following the US route, but there are opportunities for large-scale dairying operations."
Alvis said the consortium hoped to secure a location for the farm, planning permission and the necessary finances in 2011, with a view to starting the development in 2012.
He is understood to have asked Dairy Crest whether it would consider sourcing milk from the farm.
However, Dairy Crest said it was too early to make a decision. "Until it is up and running and we've fully audited it, we couldn't answer that," said a spokesman.
News of Alvis' plans comes as Nocton Dairies is preparing to resubmit its planning application for a super-sized dairy in Lincolnshire.
The farmers behind the Nocton project said they had made significant changes to their plans in response to concerns from local residents, and now planned to keep fewer than the 8,000 cows originally envisaged.
One of the farmers, Peter Willes, said he hoped the new plans would be assessed "on their own merits" rather than through the lens of single-issue pressure groups.
'Super-dairies' are still relatively scarce in England, according to DairyCo. Census figures show that in 2009 there were only 12 holdings in England with 750-plus cows.
A recent DairyCo survey found that 63% of respondents felt a dairy farm would be too large if it had more than 300 cows.
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