Retailer and Consumer Sentiment Will Drive Dairy Growth
Whelan made the remarks at a dairy conference organised jointly by the Ulster Farmers’ Union, the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, AgriSearch and the College for Agriculture, Food and Environment. He said continued expansion was particularly important while inflation remained high.
The Sustainable Dairy Pathways strategy has been agreed as a framework for the UK milk industry. Its first set of objectives runs to 2030, while a second phase extends to 2050. Whelan said public-sector backing would be necessary, but that purchasing attitudes among retailers and consumers would be the strongest influence on whether the strategy was implemented.
A report commissioned by Dairy UK and prepared by Scotland’s Rural College sets out environmental measures for milk producers over the next three years and beyond. It estimates that meeting the proposed requirements would involve about £2.4bn of investment across the UK. The report is expected to receive endorsement in early 2027, after which Dairy UK is intended to represent the milk industry across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland with a single position.
The SRUC report records changes already made across farming and processing. Emissions per litre of milk produced on farms are about 22% lower than in 1990. Methane emissions have fallen by almost 14%, while total greenhouse-gas emissions have declined by 9% over the past five years. Dairy processors have reduced energy use per kilogram of milk processed by more than 30% and water consumption by over half. The share of processing waste sent to landfill has dropped from 24% to below 2%.
Whelan said the report also called for farmers to retain a basic approach to managing their businesses. He referred specifically to routine soil analysis and keeping soil pH at suitable levels. He added that government support remained important because dairy was part of national infrastructure and milk and dairy products were perishable, meaning that most supplies had to be delivered on a just-in-time basis.
According to Whelan, the sector’s core objective is a unified dairy industry that is climate-resilient and profitable. He said it should provide high-quality, affordable food while supporting a sustainable future for farmers, processors and others working in the industry. The relevant targets have been established, he added, and the milk industry had already made substantial progress towards them.
