Nestlé and First Milk to find future dairy leaders

The Next Generation Dairy Leaders Programme aimed to identify, nurture and develop young farmers, in a bid to ensure the troubled sector benefited from high-calibre leadership.

The two year programme will focus on a small group of the most innovative First Milk Farmers supplying to Nestlé’s factories in Girvan, Scotland and Dalston, Cumbria.

During the course, the dairy producers will attend a series of events to learn about dairy industry politics, advanced farm management, financial management and effective communication. The aim is to provide them with the practical tools and confidence to offer leadership to the industry of tomorrow.

Global dairy industry​

There will also be activities to help improve their knowledge of the global dairy industry and provide a greater understanding of sustainability topics and the dairy supply chain from field to consumer.

Participants will be invited to Nestlé’s UK factories to learn about the company’s supply chain and how milk quality affects production performance.

First Milk chief executive Mike Gallacher said: “The investment from Nestlé in supporting the long term sustainability of UK dairy farming goes well beyond other businesses in many areas.​

The launch of the Nestlé Next Generation Farmer Program demonstrates that long term commitment in providing outstanding development for our best young farmers of the future.”​

The First Milk boss added it was critical that future farmers had the best possible training and development, so they can compete in an increasingly global and competitive future.

‘Nestlé supply chain’​

Nestlé UK & Ireland said: “We believe that this will enable our farmers to get a much wider perspective of the dairy industry and importantly the role their milk plays in the Nestlé supply chain.”​

The Nestlé First Milk Partnership comprises 106 farmers in Ayrshire, Wigtownshire and Cumbria. They supply fresh milk used in the manufacture of brands such as Kit Kat and Nescafe Café Menu.

The sustainability programme is focussed on five priorities: milk quality, lean farming methods – enabling a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions – environmental sustainability – soil, water and biodiversity – the next generation of farmers and animal welfare.