A new Digital Dairy Chain has officially launched this week, with aims to decarbonise Scotland’s dairy industry and create new jobs.

The project is led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and involving the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). It will see partners across Southwest Scotland and Cumbria work to develop a fully integrated and traceable dairy supply chain.

Supported by £21.3m of government money through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund, the Digital Dairy Chain’s initial focus will be on the use of sensors and data from dairy herds and how it can be utilised to produce more, and better, dairy products.

Aligning with Scotland’s Strategy for Economic Transformation, the partners plan for the Digital Dairy Chain to generate £60m per year of additional value in Scotland’s dairy industry, along with the eventual creation of over 600 jobs.

Vice-Principal of Research, Innovation and Engagement at UWS Professor Milan Radosavljevic said: “This landmark project will not only help to reduce carbon produced by the dairy industry, it will develop and retain a skilled and innovative workforce in the region. I am delighted that UWS’s research expertise will play a key role in project.”

In addition to SRUC and UWS, the Digital Dairy Chain comprises a number of partners in the region, including the University of the West of Scotland, University of Strathclyde, CENSIS, First Milk, Lactalis UK & Ireland, Kendal Nutricare, Cows & Co Group, National Milk Records and SmartSTEMS.

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Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “Working with local and national businesses, the Digital Dairy Chain will transform the region’s dairy production systems and establish it as a global leader in advanced, sustainable and high-value dairy manufacturing.

“It will foster entrepreneurship, create new market opportunities, add new skills to the workforce and lay the foundations for more productive regions, all while making the critical journey towards net zero.”

Cumbria and South-West Scotland is the UK’s second largest milk field, producing 1.9 billion litres each year, with a farm-gate value of £750 million. There are 52 dairy manufacturing businesses adding value to milk produced from 1,300 farms.

Jo Lappin, Chief Executive of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Innovation is critical to improving productivity and addressing labour supply issues and the Digital Dairy Chain can play a really important part in supporting our dairy sector to innovate. This matters to Cumbria as we are home to one of the biggest dairy herds in the UK.”

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