The conference will explore the opportunities and challenges facing the sector, with a series of talks and panel discussions focused on market signals, genetic profiling and sustainable dairy production.
The conference will open with Dale Farm CEO and Dairy UK Vice Chair, Nick Whelan outlining new developments on the Dairy Roadmap, an initiative to set specific targets to tackle the environmental impacts of producing liquid milk. Dairy Council NI CEO Ian Stevenson will then chair a panel discussion with the three main dairy processors.
Speaking about the conference Dairy Council NI CEO Ian Stevenson said,
“The Northern Ireland dairy sector has a strong track record of responding to change and investing in a sustainable and productive future. This event provides an important opportunity for farmers and the wider supply chain to hear directly from experts and industry leaders about market developments, genetics and sustainability, while sharing experiences and identifying practical opportunities for progress.”
Jason Rankin AgriSearch said: “Research and innovation have a vital role to play in helping dairy farmers meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. The Dairy Carbon Network, led by AFBI in partnership with organisations across the UK, provides a valuable platform for sharing practical knowledge and demonstrating how improvements in areas such as nutrition can contribute to both farm efficiency and environmental performance”.
CAFRE’s Head of Livestock Genetics and Data Branch Francis Breen will chair the second session during which Marco Winters of the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) will outline how the new Bovine Genetics Project aims to help farmers improve cattle health and efficiency, as well as reducing emissions.
Also, in this session Lois McConaghy of Sustainable Ruminant Genetics NI will demonstrate how genotyping will help farmers build a complete genetic profile of their existing herd and future calves and Coleraine farmer Andrew McCollum will share how genotyping helped his herd achieve the highest ranking for AHDB’s Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI)
After lunch Jason Rankin, AgriSearch will chair the afternoon session focusing on nutrition and the Dairy Carbon Network. Professor Steven Morrison, head of AFBI's Sustainable Livestock Systems Branch will provide an overview of the network, before Jim Uprichard of Trouw Nutrition examines the role of feeding strategies in supporting more sustainable dairy production. The session will highlight the experiences of two Dairy Carbon Network farmers, followed by a panel discussion.
The event will conclude with closing remarks from the UFU bringing together the key themes and messages from the day.
Taking place at CAFRE’s Greenmount Campus on Tues 20th October, the conference starts at 10am, lunch will be provided at 12:45pm and afternoon session will conclude at 3pm.
The conference is free to attend but booking is essential. Please register at www.ufuni.org/event/dairy-conference-2026/