Ministers from the UK and Scottish governments have officially opened a multi-million-pound facility aimed at enhancing innovation and sustainability in the dairy industry.
The new site will serve as a hub for collaboration among researchers and farmers, tackling challenges and seizing opportunities to boost productivity in British dairy.
Led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the project received £4m each from the UK and Scottish governments, along with £738,000 from South of Scotland Enterprise.
Located on SRUC’s Barony campus, the Dairy Nexus is strategically positioned to foster innovation in the key dairy regions of Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria.
The facility is expected to house around 60 staff, including 15 new positions.
Tom Arthur, Minister for Employment and Investment, and Kirsty McNeill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, unveiled a plaque and toured the site.
They were shown the Milk Technology Unit, which is used for dairy product development testing, with both ministers sampling local products.
They also met Hilda, an IVF calf born in Scotland which recently gained global attention as the face of the ‘Cool Cows’ research project.
Speaking after the visit, Mr Arthur said the site had an aim to drive innovations which reduce carbon emissions while making the dairy sector more productive.
He said: “The Dairy Nexus will boost the value of the south of Scotland’s thriving dairy sector, which supports more than 1,300 producers and nearly 1,000 farms."
Russel Griggs, chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said that Dairy Nexus would be an "asset for one of the most significant industries for Dumfries and Galloway".
“It will drive innovation to allow the dairy sector to decarbonise, as well as accelerate its productivity, enhance animal welfare and develop new products from dairy resources.
“Dairy Nexus also aims to bring further investment and jobs to the area, contributing to SOSE’s target of turning the South of Scotland into the rural economic powerhouse we know it can be.”
