Welsh farmers told to produce more milk from forage

Welsh milk producers could reduce input costs through better grassland management, said Lee Truelove, First Milk’s farm sustainability manager.

In a country renowned for its excellent grass growing climate, farmers relied too heavily on inputs sourced from overseas, he told the DairyCo conference in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

“The Brazilian soya fields have as much to do with milk production in west Wales as the grass we see in the fields as we drive down the M4,” he said.

“The Brazilian soya fields have as much to do with milk production in west Wales as the grass we see in the fields as we drive down the M4.”
Lee Truelove, First Milk

“This region is well placed to grow some of the best forages, equal to Ireland where grass is very much integral to milk production.”

Mr Truelove questioned whether the average milk from forage figure of 30% was high enough.

He urged farmers to consider the farming model that best suits Wales. First Milk, he said, intended to work with farmers to help them become better grassland managers but stressed that this strategy would not be narrowed to a particular system.

“It is not about a system, it is about maximising the advantages dairy producers have in west Wales,” he said.

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