More than half the country’s dairy farmers are planning to increase milk production…either by boosting numbers or by aiming for more milk from existing herds.  

That’s the result of a survey conducted by leading farming app business Herdwatch at the South West Dairy show last week.

Over half (58%) of British dairy farmers surveyed at the Royal Bath and West showground said they were committed to increasing milk production, with 67% stating they planned to increase herd numbers, a huge vote of confidence at a time when much of farming’s future is hanging in the balance due to Brexit.  

“Despite a fair degree of uncertainty, 77% of dairy farmers surveyed confirmed they were confident in their future post-Brexit,” said James Greevy, business and product development manager for Herdwatch.

And this level of confidence seems to be shared across the country as, in a survey Herdwatch carried out at Dairy Day in Telford less than a month ago, 88% of dairy farmers polled stated they were confident in their future post-Brexit.

At both shows, the stability of milk price and potential labour shortages were cited as the biggest concerns, along with worries about farm succession and how young people were going to enter the industry.

Facebook continues to be the social media platform of choice, with over half (54%) of farmers surveyed regularly logging on to the site to contact colleagues and keep up to date with new developments.

Despite 72% of dairy farmers polled owning a smartphone, and 74% of their key staff using smartphones, only a third use their smartphones to update farm records. “Considering paperwork is also listed as one of farmers’ biggest concerns, this is surprising,” adds James.