Lakeland Dairies, in partnership with Teagasc, has announced the launch of phase four of its joint development programme.

This initiative is focused on "supporting sustainable and profitable farm development across the Lakeland Dairies milk supply base".

The latest programme is built on previous phases, and is designed to "help farmers strengthen business performance, improve on-farm efficiency and plan with confidence for the future" through a combination of innovation, practical support and advisory services.

This latest phase includes three key strands of support: innovation and demonstration farms; business planning and succession; and farm development.

Three strands

Six demonstration farms will showcase best practice in key areas including grassland management, breeding and genetics, data-driven decision making and environmental performance.

These farms will act as practical learning hubs and will support knowledge transfer and peer to peer learning across the Lakeland Dairies supply base.

The business planning strand will provide a dedicated advisory service for new entrants and existing suppliers facing succession and generational change.

Areas of support include financial planning, infrastructure development and farm business structures.

It will also involve close collaboration with external services including the Land Mobility Service to support long-term farm viability.

The third strand is a targeted farm development service.

The focus will be on breeding and herd performance, grassland management and financial planning.

This element of the programme will work closely with the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) and Farming for Water EIP supports which will help farmers improve environmental outcomes alongside stronger business performance.

Decisions for the future

Chairperson of Lakeland Dairies, Niall Matthews said: “This next phase of our programme with Teagasc is very much about practical support for farmers and helping them make confident decisions for the future.

"By building on what has worked well to date, phase four will focus on improving efficiency at farm level, supporting business and succession planning, and demonstrating best practice through a network of demonstration farms.

"It is about strengthening farm profitability while also delivering real environmental gains for our farmers."

The Lakeland Dairies joint programme was established in 2013 and operates through a team of dairy specialists who work with Lakeland Dairies suppliers in an advisory capacity.