The UK Dairy Carbon Network is a new project which will bring together farmers from across the UK to explore and implement practical solutions to manage greenhouse gas emissions.
The project is now recruiting 56 dairy farmers to form four farm networks in Northern Ireland, Cumbria and southwest Scotland, northwest England and the south/southwest England/Wales.
Students from Harper & Keele Vet School, University of Nottingham and Bridgwater & Taunton College came out on top in the 2025 RABDF Farm Health Management Awards, kindly sponsored by Volac.
The award aims to demonstrate an understanding of, and test students’ knowledge of, proactive farm health management.
The competition is split into three categories: students at agricultural colleges, agricultural universities and vet schools.
Oriana Barnes from the Harper & Keele Vet School, Elektra Brown from University of Nottingham and Amy Bishop from Bridgwater & Taunton College were announced as the winners of the 2025 Farm Health Management Awards.
The runners-up were Catherine Kelly from the University of Surrey, and Beth Wallace from Duchy College.
Each candidate submitted a 1,500 word essay on proactive farm health management explaining how they thought farm sustainability could be enhanced, from both financial and environmental aspects.
The awards were judged by Sarah Banks, and RABDF Trustees Sarah Tomlinson, and Tim Brigstocke. Each category winner took home a £500 cash prize.
Sarah Tomlinson says, again, it was a huge privilege, as a RABDF Trustee, to judge the Farm Health Planning essays.
“All of the entries were clearly passionate about the importance of promoting proactive health policies on farm.”
“The winners stood out with exceptional knowledge of the industry as a whole, noting not only industry professionals, tools and other expertise on and off farm, but also considering the consumer and public perception of farm animal health and welfare. Essays were well substantiated with data from numerous sources, and also supported with the authors own on-farm experiences which really helped bring them to life. It was clear to see they understood the importance of monitoring data and the impact endemic disease can have on costs and long term financial and environmental sustainability of a business.”
The award winners were announced on the Dairy Hub at Dairy-Tech and were presented by Sarah Banks, and Sarah Tomlinson.
Newly appointed Chief Executive of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF), Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, announced to delegates at this year’s SEMEX conference, her vision for the organisation to become the only dedicated voice of British dairy farmers.
In her inaugural speech as the charity’s leader, at the annual conference held in Glasgow on 12th-14th January, Campbell-Gibbons said: “We are the UK’s sole dairy charity, with an impressive legacy. However, I come here today with a full acknowledgement that the organisation has been living off its legacy for some time now. RABDF is a sleeping giant, and I’m here to wake it up.
“If we are to play a meaningful part in British dairying’s future prospects then we must reboot, refocus and reinvigorate this organisation.”
“My vision is not only for RABDF to regain its voice, but for us to be recognised by farmers, government, the media and the industry as the only dedicated voice of British dairy farmers.”
Recognising the seismic changes that have shaped the industry over the last decade, Campbell-Gibbons used the platform to signal her intentions for the moves she plans to make to take the organisation forward and drive better outcomes for dairy farmers. These included business capability, convening the industry and people.
“We will represent the voices of our members on the issues that impact their ability to run successful, profitable businesses – from supply chain antics and financials to politics, regulation and everything in between.
“At times that will be a voice that amplifies others, at other times we may take the lead, and we will also have the confidence not to speak out on issues where others are better equipped or qualified to do so.
“What we will always do is formulate our position in a way that speaks to, and for, the type of farmer we want to represent. Forward thinking. progressive, successful operators.”
Having signaled her intentions for RABDF, Campbell-Gibbons challenged farmers at the conference to support the organisation, or risk losing it.
“None of this is possible without dairy farmers’ backing. By that I mean membership, participation in our structures and support for our work, if you believe that RABDF and its voice is needed.
Closing her conference speech, Campbell-Gibbons reinforced her commitment for RABDF to be the dedicated voice of British dairy farmers. “We will respect and build on the solid foundations we have as we create something that is fit for today. Make no mistake, RABDF is back.”
The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) has joined forces with Conservative MP Harriet Cross and over 100 MPs, Lords, and industry groups to oppose recent changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) announced in last week’s budget.
In a joint letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Ms Cross urges her to reconsider the changes which are set to take effect on 6 April 2026 and will introduce a £1 million threshold for APR and BPR.
The letter outlines how even modest family farms will face heavy tax burdens under the proposed changes, threatening the viability of many commercially viable family-owned farms.
While the government states that the changes will only affect the wealthiest estates, the letter highlights that the government’s analysis relies on historical data that includes smaller holdings rather than accurately reflecting commercial family farms.
This could mean that family-run farms, integral to UK food production and rural communities, would be among those hardest hit.
RABDF Chairman Robert Craig expressed concern over the changes, saying: “The proposed APR and BPR changes are not measures targeted at wealthy tax avoiders; they are measures that will significantly affect genuine family farming businesses across the country.
“Many families may be forced to sell parts of their working farm to cover the tax bill, fragmenting long-standing family businesses and placing more agricultural land in the hands of large corporations.
“At a time when food security couldn’t be more important, the government has introduced these changes that could have devastating impacts and potentially threaten our food security,” said Mr Craig.
The joint letter reinforces the importance of family farms to rural economies and the nation’s food supply and calls on the Chancellor to urgently reconsider the tax reforms before they come into effect.
Read the letter in full here https://x.com/HarrietCross_MP/status/1854186001641488435/photo/1 .
All farmers can also show their support by signing the NFU pledge to overturn the family farm tax. Find out more https://www.campaigns.nfuonline.com/page/160300/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=NFUOnlineArticle
About RABDF
RABDF is the sole UK charity focused on the unique needs of milk producers. They are the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant.
The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) is delighted to announce the appointment of Hayley Campbell-Gibbons as its new Chief Executive.
With over 20 years of experience in agricultural policy, advocacy and leadership, Hayley brings a wealth of experience and passion for the dairy industry. Her extensive background includes serving as the Chief Dairy Adviser for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), where she played a pivotal role in shaping policies and initiatives to support dairy farmers, and most recently as Head of Sustainability for Kite Consulting. Hayley has also held several non-executive director positions, including for AHDB and is a current board member of the Food Standards Agency.
In her new role, Hayley will lead RABDF into a strong position of influence and growth; boosting its ability to positively impact on the dairy industry's prospects. Her vision aligns with RABDF’s mission to support and represent dairy farmers, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met in an evolving agricultural landscape.
"I am honoured to join such an esteemed and well respected organisation as RABDF," said Hayley Campbell-Gibbons. "My priority will be to get to know the people who make the organisation tick – the staff, members, trustees and stakeholders – as well as building links with key industry players, many of whom I'm already familiar with from my prior roles. I look forward to helping reshape RADBF and to driving positive changes that will ultimately contribute to a vibrant future for British dairy farming."
RABDF Chairman Robert Craig expressed his enthusiasm for Hayley’s appointment: "We are thrilled to welcome Hayley as our new Chief Executive. Her extensive experience and passion for the industry make her the ideal leader to guide RABDF forward. Under her leadership, we are confident that RABDF will reach its full potential to advocate strongly for dairy farmers, providing an influential voice in the agricultural community. We look forward to embarking on a new era of growth and innovation for the organisation."
Hayley Campbell-Gibbons will officially assume her role as Chief Executive on 11th November 2024.
For further information, please contact:
Robert Craig
Chair, RABDF
Phone: 02476 639317
Email: robertcraig@rabdf.co.uk or office@rabdf.co.uk
About RABDF
The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) is the leading organisation and charity representing British dairy farmers. Through its policy work, advocacy and initiatives RABDF promotes best practice and collaboration among dairy farmers and stakeholders that progresses the industry.
The next steps in a comprehensive independent evaluation of the UK’s farm assurance schemes have been announced by the Commissioners of the UK Farm Assurance Review. The project, jointly set up by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and AHDB, along with NFU Cymru, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) and NFU Scotland (NFUS), will focus on repurposing UK farm assurance for a post-Brexit world.
The independent review of the UK Farm Assurance System is planned to report at the end of this year. The Commissioners leading this review have now issued an online survey that can be completed by any farmer in the UK, from any sector that will help provide evidence for the review and will assist in the development of its recommendations.
Dr David Llewellyn, the Lead Commissioner has said: “we are seeking views, in a variety of ways, across the UK agri-food industry, but this is your chance to tell us your experiences of farm assurance so that we hear directly from the farming community. The survey will take around 10 – 15 minutes to complete.
The survey can be found at: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/promaraf-2021/the-uk-farm-assurance-review. We are really looking forward to the participation in this survey of as many farmers as possible, as part of their contribution to this important review.
Our evidence gathering will also involve direct engagement by the Commissioners with other key stakeholders. By responding directly to the Commissioners and not to the sponsors of the review, we intend to ensure that our work will be both independent and transparent and that we can hear from a wide cross section of stakeholders in farm assurance systems from across the UK”, concluded Dr Llewellyn.
The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) seeks a highly-skilled, passionate individual to spearhead the charity as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
This is a rare opportunity for a dynamic leader to join the UK’s only dedicated dairy charity and positively impact the industry by fronting the renowned organisation.
RABDF works hard to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the dairy industry in the UK by representing the sector at a national and government level, running leading industry events, keeping the sector abreast of policy changes and providing services to support the needs of dairy producers.
The CEO will lead and inspire a team of highly motivated and skilled staff and work closely with the Board of Trustees to achieve the charity's strategic objectives. They must be able to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including dairy farmers, industry partners, government agencies, and policymakers.
RABDF Chairman Robert Craig believes the role is the perfect opportunity for a motivated individual looking to make that next step in their career or an individual passionate about driving the sector forward.
"This is a critical time for the dairy industry with decreasing support payments, increased volatility and continuing labour shortages. We must have the right candidate at the charity's helm to steer the ship forward.
"The job will be highly rewarding due to the influence and impact the individual can have within this role and by working as part of the RABDF team.
"There is also real scope for the right individual to put their stamp on the charity and bring forward ideas about how we can continue promoting and developing the charity and bring in new income streams.
“The role has only had two CEOs in the last 23 years and showcases the incredible satisfaction and enjoyment that can be gained by working for this charity,” he said.
The salary is competitive in the region of £70,000, which is negotiable depending on experience.
This full-time hybrid role is mainly based at the head office in Warwickshire, but time will also be required with different clients and projects across the UK. An element of working from home will also be acceptable.
The full job description and details on applying can be found at rabdf.co.uk/latest-news/2024/5/16/chief-executive-officer-ceo-rabdf.
