Free Range Dairy Network Community Interest Company (CIC) was established in 2014. It grew out of the existing venture started by Neil Darwent, BBC Outstanding Farmer of the Year 2014, in response to the large intensive dairy “get big or get out” messages coming from the industry.
Consolidation in the milk supply chain threatens to squeeze out traditional, pasture-based dairy farmers, as retailers and big dairy business compete to deliver large volumes of cheap milk. Our Network promotes recognition for traditional, family farms, by giving ethical consumers the chance to choose free range milk. We want to provide a voice for the farmers who want to graze their cows and secure grazing rights for cows.
In 2014, Neil Darwent and Carol Lever, established the Network, in an attempt to offer farmers an alternative vision of the future founded on value rather than volume, by promoting a way of farming that: