Dairy Nexus - SRUC Barony, Dumfries
Improving knowledge exchange and facilitating co-innovation to transform the region's dairy production systems for inclusive regional growth and the net-zero circular economy.
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Ideally positioned to service the region's two main centres of dairy production in Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway.
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Driving innovation to de-carbonise the dairy sector, accelerate productivity growth, safeguard animal health and wellbeing, and develop new products from dairy resources.
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Identifying and solving real-world problems in dairy productivity and sustainability.
What does Dairy Nexus include?
Based at the SRUC Barony campus near Dumfries, the state-of-the-art Dairy Nexus forms part of the £350 million Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. It's made up of a number of farms and laboratory facilities along with experimental facilities designed to encourage and improve knowledge exchange that will drive innovation, support future growth, and deliver significant and lasting benefits for individuals, businesses, and communities in the dairy sector.
What is Dairy Nexus achieving?
With a strong focus on collaborative innovation between researchers, advisers, farmers, and businesses across the milk supply chain, Dairy Nexus is driving down carbon emissions, accelerating productivity, and developing new products from the dairy sector in Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, and across the Borderlands by identifying and solving real-world problems and taking opportunities to improve productivity and sustainability.
From fine-tuning dairy nutrition to improve the nutritional value of milk and the yield of cheese, to measuring the effect of genetic selection on cows’ methane emissions and understanding how different forage crops affect soil health and biodiversity, Dairy Nexus aims to make a difference.
"Dairy Nexus will drive innovation to decarbonise the dairy sector, accelerate productivity growth, safeguard animal health and wellbeing, and develop new products from dairy resources. In doing so, it will deliver significant and inclusive regional growth to underpin the rural communities that are so important to the Borderlands economy and its regional identity."
- Professor Wayne Powell, SRUC Principal and Chief Executive
Dairy Nexus in SRUC news:
‘Cool Calf’ could help accelerate dairy journey to net zero
Hilda, the first Langhill Herd calf to be born through IVF, is part of the Cool Cows project, which aims to establish a nucleus of highly methane-efficient animals.
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Ministers welcome progress on innovative Borderlands dairy project
The Dairy Nexus, which is under construction at SRUC’s Barony Campus near Dumfries, is set to be completed in November 2024. A multi-million pound new facility to drive innovation and sustainability.
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SRUC celebrates ten years with Holyrood showcase
A parliamentary reception was held at Holyrood on 15 November 2022 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of SRUC and the remarkable role in has in communities across Scotland.
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SRUC showcases green innovation during Ministerial visit
The role of cutting-edge green innovation in the natural economy has been showcased to Scotland’s Business Minister during a visit to Dumfries and Galloway.
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A toast to £21m Digital Dairy Chain
The South-West of Scotland and Cumbria will become the “go to” region for future investment in high-tech dairy processing.
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YouTube: A Tour of SRUC's Dairy Nexus Building
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