Chairman’s Report

Fred Allen

Chairman Chairman’s Report

It is with great honour that I have this year taken on the role of Chairman of Dale Farm Cooperative Ltd and am therefore in the position of reporting solid financial results for 2019/20.

Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor John Dunlop, who played a pivotal role in the development of Dale Farm as a cooperative over the last 10 years.

During his time, John helped the business strategically reinvest into its operations, acquire sites in GB and Mullins Ice Cream locally, and significantly develop the cheese side of the business.

The results achieved during 2019/20 reflect that Dale Farm’s strategy is working well. The weather posed significant challenge during this period but thanks to high quality milk and good leadership, we witnessed one of our most financially successful years to date.

I would like to thank our Chief Executive Nick Whelan and the Executive Leadership Team on behalf of the Board for their commitment, determination and ongoing drive to make Dale Farm Cooperative Ltd succeed. That loyalty and ambition is felt right through the business, so to every single employee I would also like to show the Board’s appreciation.

The people at Dale Farm, combined with our high quality milk supplied by our farmers, helped us deliver these financial results despite some market challenges in 2019/20. Dale Farm’s dairy products performed particularly well in retail and foodservice across the UK, as well as global exports.

Milk volumes and quality were relatively strong and cheese continued to perform particularly well within brand, own label and foodservice sectors, both locally and worldwide.

As we publish this report, there is no telling just how significantly the COVID-19 pandemic will impact on our industry. The times ahead will undoubtedly pose new challenges and as your cooperative’s Chairman, I will actively strive to lead your board in the best interest of the dairy farmers who day by day supply Dale Farm with the best milk – the true core of the business.

I believe there must be a particular focus on milk price going forward and every effort made to pay the best milk price we can to our members at all times. This will be uppermost in our minds as we continue to develop our cooperative.

Fred Allen Chairman

The results achieved during 2019/20 reflect that Dale Farm’s strategy is working well. The weather posed significant challenge during this period but thanks to high quality milk and good leadership, we witnessed one of our most financially successful years to date.