THE agriculture industry must work together to take full advantage of the growth in demand in the dairy sector.

Speaking at the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers’ Foundation for Collaboration Conference, Meurig Raymond, NFU president, said collaboration would give dairy farmers the best chance to take maximum advantage of changes in global demand for their products.

He said production must be increased to meet that demand: “If we do nothing while our competitors grow and invest in their businesses we risk falling behind them and losing the markets we currently have.

“To compete in global markets we need to be globally competitive and collaboration is one of the key elements in achieving this. Working together can help us achieve stronger and fairer contracts and provide a stronger basis for negotiations.”

Mr Raymond said that current milk prices were reasonable, with excellent long-term prospects for demand.

“But this positive outlook should not distract us from the need to continue to work together to strengthen our position, invest in the future and plan so we can take full advantage of the increased demand for dairy products,” he said.

“The opportunities presented by changes in global demand for dairy products mean farmers have never had a more compelling reason to work together. I hope as we move forward we see collaboration continue to create new opportunities for farmers to add value to British milk, gain access to new markets, and grow our industry.”