FUNDS FOR EAST MIDLANDS DAIRY FARMERS

With a dairy sector under increasing pressure to be more efficient often with reducing returns, help is now at hand with 80% funded Dairy Improvement Plans developed to improve business sustainability.

LandSkills East Midlands in conjunction with The Dairy Group and XL Vets has developed the East Midlands Dairy Improvement Programme (EMDIP) to deliver Dairy Improvement Plans to 100 farms across the region. Funded by LandSkills East Midlands, part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), Dairy Improvement Plans provide farmers with a herd health analysis and resource data to develop and implement an action plan which will improve the sustainability of their overall enterprise. Ian Ohnstad from EMDIP said: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work in partnership with dairy farmers and their vets in the East Midlands to bring about improvements in herd health, business and resource efficiency and dairy farm profit. This programme will build on the strength of relationship between the farmer and his vet, which together with our experience in the UK and overseas in giving independent technical advice and finding profitable business solutions will help move the dairy industry on to even greater heights in this region.” Managed by Lantra on behalf of East Midlands Development Agency (emda) – which is responsible for RDPE in the region, LandSkills East Midlands is just one initiative which can support dairy farmers in the region. As Andrew Morgan, emda’s Skills and Communities Director explained: “Taking part in a Dairy Improvement Plan can help farmers to identify key priorities for change, as well as providing a route to potentially access the wider RDPE grant scheme that we manage on behalf of the region. Supporting the dairy farming industry is these ways is vital in improving its future competitiveness and sustainability.” To register your interest contact Sophie Throup on 07854 063384 or for more information about LandSkills East Midlands visit www.lantra.co.uk/LandSkillsEastMidlands ENDS Issued by: Vicky Brewin, Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator Tel: 02476 858417 or e-mail: vicky.brewin@lantra.co.uk. Editor’s notes • RDPE business Support is part of the publicly funded package of business support designed to help companies start and grow. RDPE is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas, with Defra as the Managing Authority. emda has approximately £60m available for projects in the region until 2013. The purpose of RDPE grants is to stimulate the rural economy of the East Midlands and provide more opportunities and an improved quality of life for rural people in the region. Full details on the regional delivery of RDPE and how to apply for funding can be found at www.emda.org.uk/rdpe . • LandSkills East Midlands, managed by Lantra Sector Skills Council on behalf of Regional Development Agency emda, is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) which is funded by Defra and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. • Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, is licensed by the UK government to drive forward the new skills, training and business development agenda for the sector. • Lantra represents 17 industries and 1.5 million workers and volunteers in agricultural crops, agricultural livestock, animal care, animal technology, aquaculture, environmental conservation, equine, farriery, fencing, fisheries management, floristry, game and wildlife management, land-based engineering, landscaping, production horticulture, trees and timber and veterinary nursing. For more information see www.lantra.co.uk.

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