There is no country better placed than Scotland to realise global dairy opportunities.

The dairy sector in Scotland is diverse in its make-up with farmers, producers, processors – big and small – all having a critical role to play in the supply chain.  We have a superb basket of dairy products that use their provenance and location to distinguish themselves. From well-known national brands to smaller niche local players, we have world-class milk, butter, ice cream, yogurts, cream and cheeses that appeal to consumers across the globe.

Scotland’s location, geography, climate and farming practices put us in a unique position to produce some of the best quality milk in the world in a truly natural environment. An abundance of fresh water, an ideal climate, low CO2 emissions and an unspoilt environment are all characteristics that not only deliver a competitive quality milk product but also transparency and honesty in the supply chain: something that we know that is important to consumers and customers in today’s marketplace.

Our farmers are custodians of the land and the animals they look after. Within Scottish dairy we strongly believe in the value of investing in our environment and in working proactively with government and wider society to ensure this happens and we know that a clean, green Scotland is a major selling point.  Thousands of people are employed in the Scottish dairy industry, all with key roles to play.  Our farmers are key and without them we wouldn’t have the herds that produce the finest milk, nor would we have the natural farm environments that are so important to Scotland’s dairy industry.

Innovation is also critically important to us and that is why we put it at the heart of our work on farm, in processing and in the wider Scottish dairy supply chain.  Innovation is key in helping to drive technical efficiency as well as excellence in dairy science. Scotland already has a global reputation for its dairy scientific work including world-leading thinking on genetics and genomics. Innovation is also important when it comes to markets and in helping our farmers and processors develop new products that consumers want to buy.

All of this takes effort, foresight, leadership, business and farm skills and a team of workers. We have strength in our farming culture, expertise across all of our supply chains, add to this our agility to adapt – all of this gives Scottish Dairy a unique proposition which we use to build strength and resilience in our sector, helping us respond to the challenges of climate change as well as taking our products to market across the world.

There is no country better placed than Scotland to realise global dairy opportunities.