SOSE Newsletter Signup

As the global climate conference COP30 comes to an end our Head of Agriculture Transition, Lucy Filby, highlights the importance of supporting innovation in our region’s agriculture, and food & drink sectors.

With the thematic areas of agriculture and food systems closing out COP30, here is a brief look at what is going on in the South of Scotland to drive innovation in these areas, including the Digital Dairy Chain project, the Dairy Nexus facility and co-production of innovative crops.

Digital Dairy Chain (DDC)

The Digital Dairy Chain is a UK research & innovation funded project, with a budget of £21million to transform the dairy sector and uplift the rural economy, led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) - a strategic partner of SOSE.

One DDC initiative is the Innovation Vouchers scheme which offers grants of up to £10,000 to help businesses in South & West Scotland and Cumbria collaborate with universities on projects that drive digital transformation and sustainability in the dairy sector.

An example of a funded project - Project 25 - looked at creating a biodiversity baseline for natural capital investment on dairy farms in order to demonstrate the nature restoration potential of dairy farms and explore public and private investment streams to finance action.

DDC has also provided larger rounds of funding to a handful of projects, including Cool Cows (Project 6), which aimed to breed cattle with naturally lower methane emissions using advanced genetic technology, reducing agriculture’s environmental impact while safeguarding animal welfare and food security on the path to net zero by 2050.

Dairy Nexus

With our investment alongside UK and Scottish governments, The Dairy Nexus was built by Portakabin Ltd on SRUC’s Barony campus near Dumfries, to be a new hub perfectly placed to drive innovation in two of the UK’s biggest dairy regions - Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria.

It brings together researchers, advisors, farmers, and businesses to tackle real-world challenges and boost productivity and sustainability.

Visitors recently toured the Milk Technology Unit for dairy product development and met Hilda - the calf who became the global face of the UKRI-funded Cool Cows project mentioned above.

The Dairy Nexus is also home to one of the DDC’s Maker Spaces which give producers of dairy and dairy-based food and drink products the facilities to develop new products or move from small-scale 'kitchen creations’ into commercially viable production.

Beyond Food and Drink

Scottish Borders farmers have been involved in an IBioIC funded innovative trial to grow hemp as part of their crop rotation. Following the successful trial we are now working with strategic partners at Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) and SRUC to develop the investment and market opportunities for this sustainable material.

The South of Scotland is showing that we are an innovative region ready to take on new challenges as they come. 

As COP30 comes to a close, the South of Scotland stands ready to lead with innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to climate-positive change.