Guernsey's 11 dairy farmers have been working with Dutch firm Lely towards a robotically run Dairy that they want to run.

Michael Bray, who's president of the Guernsey Farmers Association, says the idea's been pursued by farmers:

"Lely are a multinational company that focus a lot on robotic milking systems and also a semi robotic dairy. They've developed a concept that they feel would be right for Guernsey and the plans are done. It's a concept that could be very quickly put together and funded at half the cost of the original proposals."

He is referring to plans from the States Trading Supervisory Board for a new Dairy, costed at £26M back in 2020, but not now on the States' priority spending list because of budget constraints.

He says the plans have been shown to STSB but are not being considered at present:

"A big review into the industry is being conducted by Environment and Infrastructure. The way the industry is operating at the moment isn't sustainable longer term, so, from a farming point of view, should we be looking at all angles? How the Dairy is running, how the whole industry is running, should the farmers be operating a co-operative and running the Dairy themselves or should it be state run, or is there another model?"

He wants to see the industry operating sustainably but the ageing Dairy continues to lose money. £90,000 last year and estimated to rise to £200,000 in 2024. This is blamed on an ageing building, equipment and the twin economic pinch points of Brexit and the Ukraine war.

Michael Bray sympathises with problems experienced by staff running the Dairy:

"We're left with this ageing Dairy. The production staff do a fantastic job keeping the Dairy running and every day they go in there there's another issue that they've got to deal with."

The Dairy is currently running a social media promotion emphasising the value of dairy farmers as caretakers of the countryside, the iconic Guernsey breed and the health qualities of Guernsey milk.