Scotland Office Minister visits Barony
John Lamont, second left, with Professor John Newbold, Professor Wayne Powell and Stuart Martin at Barony
Scotland Office Minister John Lamont visited SRUC to see how digital innovation funded by more than £21 million of UK Government investment is helping to grow the rural economy.
Minister Lamont took a tour of SRUC’s Barony Campus near Dumfries to understand how the cash boost from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is supporting the milk industry by bolstering the Digital Dairy Chain.
He also called in at nearby Barnbackle Farm, part of Quality Meat Scotland’s Monitor Farm Initiative, and one of nine farms involved in a four-year programme to improve sector productivity, profitability and sustainability.
Minister Lamont said: “The UK Government is proud to support the United Kingdom’s £127 billion food and farming sector as we recognise that British farmers produce some of the highest-quality food in the world and contribute billions to our economy.
“Driving forward new farming schemes like the Digital Dairy Chain is exactly where we need to be to ensure the sector remains profitable and sustainable. It’s vital as we build on the commitment to keep producing 60 per cent of the food we consume here in the UK.”
Investment from UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund has been given to SRUC to examine how dairy farmers can best capitalise on the 1.9bn litres of milk produced in the area.
The Digital Dairy Chain will provide world-class opportunities for research and business innovation in advanced, sustainable, high-value dairy processing.
The five-year project will deliver advanced manufacturing processes to help businesses to develop new products and explore new markets. It’s hoped to create more than 600 new jobs while contributing £60 million to the local economy by attracting large dairy processors, boosting industry-focussed research.
Minister Lamont added: “This UK Government investment will really put the area on the world map as a leader in advanced, sustainable, and digitally-connected dairy manufacturing.
“It will offer farmers, processors and producers in the dairy supply chain a valuable resource for support, business development and industry expertise to take the sector from strength to strength and increase the opportunity for growth.”
Professor Wayne Powell, Principal and Chief Executive of SRUC, said: “We were delighted to welcome Mr Lamont to tell him more about the innovative work of the Digital Dairy Chain. Led by SRUC, this hugely exciting project is an excellent example of an innovation cluster, focused on developing digital connectivity, stimulating research, new high-value product development, supporting business growth and attracting talent and skills across South & West Scotland and Cumbria.
“We will soon open the second round of the collaborative R&D funding competition with a pot of £1 million, which is an outstanding opportunity for industry and academia to unite and continue to transform the dairy sector.”
To find out more about the Digital Dairy Chain, visit www.digitaldairychain.co.uk
Posted by SRUC on 15/02/2024
