Our overarching mission at Dairy UK is to promote the consumption of great tasting British dairy products at home and on the international market.
Our members collect and process about 85% of the milk produced in the UK providing employment and contributing to the UK economy.
Dairy UK relies on strong partnerships with farmers and stakeholders along the supply chain to promote the goodness of dairy.
We also work with MPs and with the government to promote a better understanding of the dairy sector and its products.
Our Work
Our key areas of focus are:
- Promoting the nutrition and health benefits of dairy. Dairy foods are part of dietary guidelines worldwide. They are recognised for the contribution they make to the nutrition of all age groups. We work hard to ensure that the benefits of real dairy are recognised, using science-based information.
- Showcasing the commitment of our sector to sustainability and by sustainability we mean the environment, the economy and society. Dairy UK plays an active role in helping its members to achieve their commitment to continuous sustainable improvement.
- Ensuring that Brexit works for the UK dairy sector and that the voice of dairy is heard in future trade agreements.
Underpinning all of these focus areas is our considerable expertise in food safety and quality. We work alongside our members and with organisations such as the Food Standards Agency and National Milk Laboratories to ensure that the dairy foods produced by our members meet the highest standards.
The work of Dairy UK doesn’t stop there, we touch on many areas including:
- Assurance: our Dairy Transport Assurance Scheme guarantees that milk collection meets safety requirements, best practice and the needs of the customer. More than 90% of milk haulage capacity in this country is Dairy Transport Assurance Scheme certified, across a fleet of 1,300 vehicles and 2,000 drivers;
- Employee Safety: our Occupational Health and Safety Committee works with our member companies to promote best practice in employee safety in the processing environment;
- Asset Recovery: our Asset Protection Team return around 40,000 metal milk trolleys to their owners each year, worth an eye-watering £2.1 million.
Dairy UK Team
Dr Judith Bryans
Chief Executive
jbryans@dairyuk.org
Kirk Hunter
Scotland Director
khunter@dairyuk.org
Dr Mike Johnston
Northern Ireland Director
mjohnston@dairyuk.org
Peter Dawson
Policy & Sustainability Director
pdawson@dairyuk.org
Melanie Hargraves
Nutrition & Technical Manager
mhargraves@dairyuk.org
Erica Hocking
Senior Nutrition Scientist
ehocking@dairyuk.org
Lydia Cooper
Nutrition Scientist
lcooper@dairyuk.org
Henry Clifford
Environment Manager
hclifford@dairyuk.org
Sara Hearty
Communications Director
shearty@dairyuk.org
Sophie Clarke
Communications Manager
sclarke@dairyuk.org
Gary Cosby
Social Media and Digital Specialist
gcosby@dairyUK.org
Colin Buck
Accountant
cbuck@dairyuk.org
Margaret Brennan
Assistant Accountant
mbrennan@dairyuk.org
Ian Wakeling
Information Manager
iwakeling@dairyuk.org
Aurelia Borenius
Office Manager
aborenius@dairyuk.org
John Hey
UK Asset Protection Manager
jhey@dairyuk.org
Peter Dick
Regional Asset Protection Manager (South)
pdick@dairyuk.org
Ian Thompson
Regional Asset Protection Manager (Midlands)
ithompson@dairyuk.org
Andy Walsh
Regional Asset Protection Manager (North)
awalsh@dairyuk.org
Dairy UK Board
Office holding Board Members
Paul Vernon
Chairman
Glanbia Cheese
Ash Amirahmadi
Vice-Chair
Arla Foods
Dr Patrick Müller
Vice-Chair
Müller Milk & Ingredients
Shelagh Hancock
Treasurer
First Milk
Board Members
Tom Atherton
Dairy Crest
Arthur Fearnall
Chairman
Dairy UK Farmers’ Forum
Robert Graham
Graham’s the Family Dairy
Michael Hanley
Lakeland Foods
Neil Kennedy
Chair
Dairy UK Co-opted Group
Hugues Meaudre
Lactalis McLelland
Richard Pearman
Vice-Chair
Dairy UK Farmers’ Forum
Nick Whelan
Dale Farm Co-Operative Ltd
