Asda is the first supermarket in NI to sell Dale Farm Farmers’ Milk. Available in each of Asda’s 16 NI stores from this week, Dale Farm Farmers’ Milk retails at £1.12, which is 25p above the price for a standard two litres. The additional 25p will be returned to Dale Farm and shared equally among the company’s 1,300 farmer owners.

The initiative was developed after research revealed that 63% of consumers said they would willingly pay more for dairy products if they were assured the extra money goes back to farmers. The scheme in NI follows a similar scheme in Britain where Asda has partnered with Arla. The milk has been available in Asda stores since 12 July, with an extra 25p returned to Arla farmers for a four-pint bottle (2.27 litres).

British supermarket chain Morrisons also has a Milk for Farmers brand where an extra 23p per four-pint bottle is paid back to Arla farmers.

Whelan to address Winter Fair

Nick Whelan, group chief executive of Dale Farm, will address delegates at the Northern Ireland Institute of Agriculture Science (NIIAS) breakfast before the RUAS Winter Fair at 7.30am on Thursday 8 December in Gowdy’s of Down Royal, Lisburn. His topic will be ‘‘Brexit: Risk or Reward’’.

The event, sponsored by Devenish Nutrition and Ulster Bank, begins with a breakfast served from 7.30am and Nick Whelan speaking at 8am, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The event is open to NIIAS members and non-members. The cost for members is £15, non-members £20 and students £5. To book, contact Robert McKnight, NIIAS secretary, at secretary@niias.co.uk or ring/text 07756009770 by Monday 5 December.

Grant for feed bins

There is strong interest among farmers in Tier 1 of the capital grant scheme for machinery and equipment up to £30,000, although not many applications have been submitted as yet. As farmers prepare applications, some are finding that their plan might not be eligible for grant.

One farmer who contacted the Irish Farmers Journal wanted to install a new feed bin, with augers going into a loft above the milking parlour where the meal is fed into hoppers. But he was told that this would not be eligible, and the only auger system that DAERA would approve would be if the feed was to go straight into a diet feeder. “I don’t think I will bother now. I was also thinking of putting up a silo, but it would probably be quicker to build it by hand myself than try to fill in all the paperwork,” he said.

United agrees to name change

At the United Dairy Farmers /Dale Farm AGM last week, it was agreed by members to change the name of the company to Dale Farm Co-operative Ltd. There was also agreement with the proposal coming from management to open the milk pool to new suppliers. While sources suggest that Dale Farm has received a good level of interest, it is understood that the company is primarily on the lookout for autumn-calving herds, and that Red Tractor assurance is a must.

YFCU considers future beyond Brexit

The Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) will be holding an event on the topic, “What’s our Future? NI Agriculture outside the EU”, on Monday 28 November in CAFRE, Loughry Campus, at 7.30pm.

Supported by Danske Bank, the event is the starting point of a consultation process as the YFCU seeks to formulate a policy position around Brexit.

Everyone under 40 years old (members and non-members) is welcome to come on Monday night. The event will be chaired by David Wright from the Irish Farmers Journal, with speakers Wesley Aston, CEO, Ulster Farmers’ Union; Ian Marshall, Agri-Food Strategy Board member and Chris Manley, chair of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs. They will be joined for a panel discussion and questions by Declan Billington, chair, NI Food and Drink Association; Owen Brennan, Agri-Food Strategy Board member; John Henning, Danske Bank; Robert Moore, Ulster Arable Society member and Tony O’Neill, chair, Agri-Food Strategy Board.

Email info@yfcu.org or phone 028 9037 0713 to reserve your place.

CREAM coming to an end at CAFRE

Over the past 20 years, hundreds of students who have studied at CAFRE Greenmount have had an active involvement in the management of a herd of 30 high-genetic merit Holstein cows as part of the CREAM project.

However, a change to modules within higher education courses at Greenmount has meant that the current project is set to end by the spring of 2017 when the existing cows in the herd will be subsumed into the main 180-cow herd at the college.

The CREAM herd was established in 1994 with the purchase of 20 in-calf Holstein Friesian heifers. The herd is currently ranked 21st in the list of UK Holstein herds by profitable lifetime index (PLI).