A PEMBROKESHIRE dairy farming family has been sharing their significant expansion programme.

Over the past year, Hugh and David James, of Kilgetty have invested in infrastructure and increased milk production, and believe being part of a group of like-minded farmers who share information to benchmark performance and identify areas for improvement is helping them to improve their levels of efficiency, while protecting the welfare of their animals.

They recently hosted a visit by Jimmy McLean, head of agricultural services for RBS and NatWest, who was suitably impressed at the developments.

“While in Wales in May I was fortunate to visit a family business in Pembrokeshire which is part of a group of dairy farmers who are taking a more business-like approach to milk production,” he said.

“I was particularly impressed by the new ventilation system the farm was using to maintain the airflow and the temperature of their buildings at an optimum level for the dairy cows. The use of technology to monitor the temperature of the cows in the vulnerable period after calving should also allow early intervention to take place if required to protect cow health. This should have a positive impact on cow welfare and the efficiency of milk production.

“The benchmarking used by the James family could be a real aid to better business management. If these measures lead to more efficient production, they should also result in more resilient businesses which should be better placed to deal with any adverse milk price movements.”

Prices have started to fall following a buoyant spring, but Mr McLean says the general mood in the dairy sector remains optimistic.