Fresh figures show Scottish dairy herds drop by a quarter

Alistair Goldie started milking cows on his farm near Annan in Dumfries and Galloway in 1983. After 41 years, he has decided to end the business.

With no children to take it on, Mr Goldie, 61, said the farm will cease being a dairy.

The farmer’s story reflects a wider trend of dairy herds across the country steadily declining.

In the last decade, the number of herds for milk production has shrunk by about a quarter - 23.7 per cent - according to figures released this month from the Scottish Dairy Cattle Association (SDCA).

In the last year alone, there was a decrease of 30 herds across the country, bringing the total number in Scotland to 764.

Ayrshire saw the biggest decrease with a net loss of 15 herds, followed by Dumfriesshire with a net loss of 5 herds.

The SDCA said there are various factors that have led to the decline, with a main one being no succession plan in place for farms as some dairy farmers retire.

Janette Mathie, secretary of the SDCA, said: “The main reason we’re seeing is there being no succession plan in place.

“Farmers retiring who have no family coming on just make the decision to sell up.

“Others might decide to diversify, but the ones selling up is mainly because of no plan for someone to take it on.”

For Mr Goldie, it was a combination of not having someone lined up to take his place and staffing issues.

He told The Scotsman: “We were up to about 450 cows at our peak, but about six years ago we reduced them to about 200 because we were struggling staff-wise.

“Younger people today just don’t want to be spending 24/7 milking cows. There’s a different work ethic.

“My wife and I have no kids and no one to take on the dairy, so we just thought to sell the cows.

“My brother and nephew may take it on as a farm with suckler cows and sheep, but this place won’t be a dairy any more.

“The number of dairy farms are definitely disappearing.”

Farming union NFUS Scotland said the SDCA figures show “a concerning trend” in Scotland’s dairy industry.

Commenting on the numbers, Bruce Mackie, chairman of the union’s milk committee, said: “It is always disappointing to see a year-on-year decline in the number of Scottish dairy herds a trend that has persisted over the past decade.

“The continued struggle with labour shortages, rising input costs, increase regulatory pressures, and market uncertainty all contribute to the challenges faced by our dairy farmers.”

He said current policy, market conditions and lack of milk contract opportunities are “clearly failing to support generational renewal, as many farmers retire with no successors.”

Last summer, Tesco announced it was cutting contracts with UK farmers, with some Scottish farms likely to be impacted.

In September last year, Lactalis, a French dairy processor, abruptly served 12 Scottish dairy farmers with a 12-month termination notice.

The move, which affected ten farmers in Dumfries and Galloway and two in Ayrshire, was made without clear reasoning, the NFU Scotland said.

At the time, the union’s vice president Andrew Connon called for greater protection for Scotland’s dairy farmers after “it appears as though producers are to be dumped out of their current contract without clear reasoning and with few options to find alternatives in the current market”.

Despite the decline in herd numbers, however, the union said there remains optimism for the dairy industry as current milk producers are producing from fewer yet more efficient cows.

Mr Mackie said: “This increase in efficiency is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our farmers.

“Furthermore, the industry is not carrying the ‘carbon cost’ of unproductive animals, which is crucial when addressing climate change and reducing our carbon footprint.

The union chairman said Scottish dairy herds are also more resilient than the rest of the UK, which has experienced even greater percentage falls.

“According to the SDCA figures, our herds are producing more milk per cow, which is important for both efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint per litre of milk,” he said.

“Globally Scotland remains a great place to produce nutritious milk competitively, given our temperate maritime climate, well-invested herds with high average yields, and resistance to climate shocks.

“We have a great tradition of skilled stockpeople, and with continuing investment in processing infrastructure and a global perspective, I am optimistic that our industry has a bright future ahead.”

Earlier this month, Scotland was on the global stage for conversations about dairy efficiency.

The birth of Scottish calf Hilda through in vitro fertilization (IVF) represented a historic moment for the world’s longest-running livestock genetics project that hopes to accelerate the dairy industry’s journey to net zero.

The calf is the first of the 16th generation of the famous Dumfries-based Langhill Herd – a vital source of data for the UK dairy industry for more than half century.

Hilda is part of the Cool Cows project, which aims to establish a nucleus of highly methane-efficient animals.

The project is a partnership between Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Cumbria vets Paragon and Semex, a company that develops new techniques for embryo transfer.

SRUC’s project lead Professor Richard Dewhurst said: “With global consumption of dairy produce continuing to grow, breeding livestock for sustainability is extremely important. The birth of Hilda is potentially a hugely significant moment for the UK dairy industry.

“We will use a new genomic assessment alongside existing production and environmental efficiency indices to select elite, methane-efficient heifers for breeding.

“The Cool Cows project will produce a greater number of offspring from these donors, rapidly establishing a nucleus of highly methane-efficient calves.”