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Ministers from the UK and Scottish governments have opened the Dairy Nexus Project, a multi-million-pound facility designed to boost innovation and sustainability in the dairy industry.

The project has received £4 million each from the UK and Scottish governments, along with £738,000 from South of Scotland Enterprise. Led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Dairy Nexus will focus on decarbonising the dairy sector and improving the sustainability of milk production.

Designed to foster collaboration between researchers, farmers, advisors and businesses, the project aims to tackle industry challenges, enhance productivity and unlock new opportunities across the dairy supply chain.

Kirsty McNeill, UK parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland, said: “I look forward to seeing Scotland’s Rural College and Dairy Nexus' contribution to delivering sustainable growth. The UK government is focused on delivering our 'Plan for Change' to turbo-charge economic growth and provide a decade of national renewal and opportunity for all. This includes investing £1.4 billion into important local projects across Scotland over the next ten years, including in Dumfries and Galloway.”

Russel Griggs, chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said Dairy Nexus also aimed to bring further jobs and investment to the area, adding: "It will drive innovation to allow the dairy sector to decarbonise, as well as accelerate its productivity, enhance animal welfare and develop new products from dairy resources."

The innovation centre is expected to employ 60 members of staff and has created 15 new roles.

Tom Arthur, Scottish minister for employment and investment, added: “The Dairy Nexus will boost the value of the south of Scotland’s thriving dairy sector, which supports more than 1,300 producers and nearly 1,000 farms. It aims to drive innovations which reduce carbon emissions and make the dairy sector more productive.”

Dairy Nexus is the first project delivered through the Borderlands Growth Deal in Scotland, which aims to create jobs and drive sustainable economic growth across southern Scotland.

Originally planned as a two-store building, the facility was scaled back to a single-store structure, built by Portakabin, due to pandemic-related and post-Brexit financial pressures.