FDBusiness.com

Dairy industry leaders and politicians have launched ‘Leading the Way’, the UK dairy industry’s sustainable growth plan. The ‘Leading the Way’ plan states that an estimated 2.5 per cent annual growth in global demand for dairy products over the next ten years will boost UK dairy production through increased exports and imports substitution. The plan sets out a vision for profitable growth of the UK dairy industry based on economic, social and environmental sustainability and focuses on the capacity of and need for, the UK dairy sector to be competitive in a global context, through scale, innovation and efficiency.

Farming minister, George Eustice MP, says: “There is huge potential for our dairy producers with growing international demand and a global reputation that is second to none. The government wants to support growth in the industry and ensure that we can both displace more imports and expand our exports.”

Billy Keane, Chairman of Dairy UK, says: “The industry growth plan is founded on economic, social and environmental sustainability. By uniting together around these sound principles, the whole dairy supply chain can have the confidence to invest in the future. The list of 43 organisations and companies who have endorsed this plan and share this common vision and sense of purpose, sends a powerful message about the UK dairy industry’s ambitions for sustainable growth.”

Rob Harrison, dairy farmer and NFU dairy board chairman, comments: “By pulling together the NFU’s vision Compete to Grow, the Dairy UK White Paper and the Dairy 2020 sustainability initiative, this project unites and consolidates the efforts of an industry that clearly has its eye’s collectively on the prize – to grow our output and be the best dairy industry in the world.”