David Ractliffe

NFU National Dairy Board Member

David is a dairy and beef farmer from Gloucestershire. He runs an extensive forage based system and supplies Wyke Farms with their milk. 

David says that helping the next generation of new entrants, farming entrepreneurs and successors is a key focus of his and the reason why he wants to be part of the NFU National Dairy Board.

He says there has never been a more important time to focus on long-term food security and a well-supported next generation from all backgrounds and sectors are a key part of this becoming a reality and should also see agricultural productivity gains in time.

David would like to see the board working closely with the banks and lenders to understand their priorities and encourage them to consider more unsecured lending for those who would like it and have a well-considered business plan to back up their ideas.

With skills and labour being one of the priorities for the dairy board, David is very interested in promoting new entrants into the sector and promoting the huge range of opportunities and support to upskill and progress when in industry. He also has an interest in helping look for opportunities for growth in dairy exports in a world with an ever-growing appetite for high-quality dairy products.

David says that every year he seems to have varying weather-based challenges on his farm, such as a lack of grass in the summer or flooding to name a couple. He says it's vital that work continues to find solutions with farmers across the world to help control what is likely to be farmers' biggest challenge yet.