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

为了准备英国脱欧，一项新提出的农业法案正在议会通过。其中，明确关注提高生产力，使农民能够在全球市场力量中盈利和竞争（下议院，2018）。该法案还指出，然而，将有财政援助给予农民谁寻求解决某些公共产品：清洁空气土壤质量碳固存清洁河流和纯净水动物健康和福利拟议的研究是一个社会学研究的学习和改变农业实践在这个关键点在英国农业，通过调查乳制品行业。利用STS，这项研究将试图了解奶农如何（自1993年牛奶市场放松管制以来，其中许多人从事了显著的集约化）现在正在调整和改变他们的做法，以从事上述生产力-农业和公共/环境产品都将受到重视。AHDB乳业，CASE的合作伙伴，是农业和园艺发展委员会的一部分，为英国奶农提供独立的研究和建议。AHDB Dairy（2018）也强调了向奶农学习的必要性-例如通过他们的“农场卓越”战略。鉴于上述对“公共产品”的强调，AHDB乳业对密切关注那些已经在其管理的系统中采用创新技术（例如通过精益和整体管理）的农民的研究感兴趣。然而，创新既是一个社会过程，也是一个技术过程，这项研究旨在了解早期创新者的代理和影响力，他们中的许多人在适应不断变化的政策环境时，正在从事数字和面对面的点对点学习（Matuschke，2008）。

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).