Farm where Rabbie Burns ploughed fields leads organic milk expansion in Scotland

Mossgiel Organic Dairy has joined forces with three farms in the north of the country as direct milk suppliers, in a move designed to meet growing demand for sustainably produced milk and challenge the dominance of large-scale processors.

Founded in 2015 by Bryce Cunningham, the third generation of his family to farm Mossgiel — where Burns lived and worked between 1784 and 1786 — the business was born out of frustration with what he describes as an “unforgiving” dairy industry.

Now widely regarded as one of the country’s leading independent organic dairies, Mossgiel has built a reputation for innovation, including its bespoke “milk brewery” and a distinctive “low and slow” pasteurisation process designed to preserve the milk's natural structure, flavour and cream.

The farm’s expansion brings three new partners into what is being described as the “Mossgiel collective”: Auchlea Farm in Kingswells, Aberdeen, Wester Manbeen, just south of Elgin, Moray, and Connage Highland Dairy in Ardersier on the Moray Firth near Nairn. Each will supply milk directly, allowing Mossgiel to retain full control over its supply chain.

Jill Clark, of Connage Highland Dairy, said the new relationship was “a fantastic collaboration between Burns country and us as Highlanders.”

She added: “Bryce and the team will take our excess milk after our cheese production and, having been let down by our previous milk wholesalers, we are so excited to be working with Mossgiel.

“Bryce's enthusiasm and business acumen has given us a new spring in our step, and we very much look forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Mr Cunningham said the move marked a decisive step away conventional models in an industry that has experienced significant decline in small dairies in the last few decades.

Scotland now has around 764 dairy herds, after losing about 30 in 2024 alone, according to figures from the National Farmers Union Scotland. The decline has not led to less milk, however. Production has instead become more concentrated in fewer but larger farms.

Mr Cunningham said: “For too long, our industry has just ticked along with the same system, same rules, same outcome; the slow death of small farms.

“We’ve spent years proving there’s another way, and now we’re stepping fully into that space, not just shouting from the sidelines, but taking it on directly.

“At Mossgiel, we live by Burns’ words: ‘Dare to be honest and fear no labour.’

“What’s happening now hasn’t been easy, it’s been messy, pressured, at times near impossible but it’s also been driven by a growing community of people who’ve chosen not to accept the status quo. Taking on these farms is the next step in that journey.”

Auchlea Farm’s Allan Clarke, who has been producing organic milk for more than 25 years, said he is proud to be part of the partnership.

“I’ve long admired what Bryce and the Mossgiel team have built,” he said.

“They’ve flown the flag for independent dairies like ours and proved there’s a better way forward.”

He said as milk buyers get bigger, producers “lose connection and collaboration in the race for efficiency and lower costs.”

“That model simply isn’t sustainable, especially for organic farming,” he said.

“Joining the Mossgiel Collective gives us the chance to build something fit for the long term.”

With sustainability at the core of Mossgiel, the farm was the first dairy in the UK to go single-use plastic free in 2019, delivering in glass bottles and reusable containers.

The expansion comes as a new Scotland-specific organic market report released earlier this year showed the country’s organic food and drink sector is booming, with sales reaching £155 million in 2025. According to the research, produced by Soil Association Certification on behalf of the Scottish Government, fresh milk sales were up by 10 per cent on the year before.