Dairy & Beef

Having signed a £48 million deal in June, AB Agri (part of Associated British Foods) has now completed the acquisition of National Milk Records (NMR), the primary supplier of management information and testing services to the UK dairy supply chain.

The Dairy Show is set to return to the Bath & West Showground in Somerset on Wednesday 4th October 2023 to showcase the latest innovations, address challenges and opportunities around net zero, and celebrate the best in British dairying.

In a letter to MPs, farm vets from VetPartners are calling on the government to address the volatility of the milk market at a time when farmers are facing increased labour costs and the price of fuel, equipment, energy and rents have risen.

The industry-renowned dairy course ‘Entrepreneurs in Dairying’, run by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) and sponsored by HSBC UK, is set to return this October and is open to anyone interested in a career in the dairy sector.

Livestock farmers will be able to apply for grants of up to £500,000 to improve cattle housing and boost productivity, with further grants being made available for purchasing equipment and technology as part of the government’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

Vital vaccines for sheep and beef have become scarce during the past three years due to disruptions to animal vaccine supplies.

Livestock farmers are being urged to consider vaccinating against bovine coronavirus (BCoV) as recent studies have identified the pathogen as the most prevalent virus behind calf respiratory disease in the UK.

Breeding using AI is “vastly underutilised” in the beef herd but can offer significant economic gains, a study has shown.

Dairy producers faced unprecedented volatility in 2022-23, with record high prices across the board, from inputs to milk markets. But they did an excellent job, securing record margins over purchased feed – although the gap between the top and bottom performers widened further, showing the importance of attention to detail, according to the Kingshay Dairy Costings Focus Report for 2023.

With new dairy regulations set to increase fairness and transparency in the supply chain, farmers are being encouraged to review costs and benchmark performance and look for areas to improve for a healthier bottom line.

More farmers are using sexed dairy semen than ever before, according to AHDB’s latest survey that reveals a significant increase in the adoption of the technology in UK cattle breeding, continuing the upwards trend seen over the past decade.

Regulations coming into force later this year will ensure supply contracts in the dairy sector are fair and transparent, with farmers being paid a fair price for their produce, the government has said today (11th July).