Navigating Dairy Farming during Brexit: balancing productivity with public goods and the need for change

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In preparation for Brexit a newly proposed Agriculture Bill is making its way through Parliament. In it,there is a clear focus on increasing productivity, so that farmers can be profitable and competitiveamongst global market forces (House of Commons, 2018). The Bill also states, however, that therewill be financial assistance given to farmers who seek to address certain public goods: clean air soil quality carbon sequestration clean rivers and pure water animal health and welfareThe proposed research is a sociological study of learning and change in farming practices at thispivotal point in UK agriculture, through an investigation of the dairy industry. Drawing on STS thestudy will seek to understand how dairy farmers (many of whom have engaged in significantintensification since the deregulation of the milk market in 1993) are now adapting and changingtheir practices to engage in the kind of productivity outlined above - where both agricultural andpublic/environmental goods will be valued.AHDB Dairy, the CASE partner, is the section of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Boardthat provides independent research and advice to UK dairy farmers. AHDB Dairy (2018) alsoemphasise the need to learn from dairy farmers - e.g. through their 'farm excellence' strategy. Giventhe above emphasis on 'public goods', AHDB Dairy are interested in research that pays closeattention to those farmers that are already adopting innovative techniques within the systems theyare managing (for example through lean and holistic management). Innovation is as much a social asa technical process, however, and the research aims to understand the agency and influence of earlyinnovators, many of whom are engaging in digital and face-to-face peer-to-peer learning as theyadapt to the to the changing policy context (Matuschke, 2008).