Semex Dairy Conference 2026: Reasons for Cautious Optimism in a Challenging Year

I was very pleased to start the year attending the 35^th Semex conference in Glasgow, and, despite it taking place in the middle of what is undoubtedly a severe downturn for the dairy industry, it was a very positive event. Encouragingly, most farmers I spoke to left feeling a little more upbeat and, perhaps more importantly, with renewed confidence about the long-term prospects for the dairy farming.

 

Several speakers highlighted strong future opportunities for the sector, with many predicting a global shortfall in dairy supplies in the years ahead. This message alone helped remind everyone in the room that, while current conditions are tough, the long-term fundamentals remain positive.

 

The conference opened with a session on politics, policies and priorities, led by NFU President Tom Bradshaw. He set out a clear vision for the Union and spoke candidly about contracts, the work still needed in this area, and how the NFU plans to push for improvements across the industry. Noted Market Analyst and Journalist Chris Walkland gave an excellent overview of the milk and commodity markets, explaining how we’ve arrived at the current oversupply situation and offering some cautious optimism that a summer turnaround could bring more positive milk price movements.

 

The day ended on a high with three inspiring young farmer speakers: Kevin Lawrie from Ayrshire shared best practice from his own farm, Claire Beckett from Northern Ireland spoke about the critical role of nutrition, and Jack Allwood from Cheshire gave an engaging talk about adding value through new milk drinks and shakes.

 

Day two began with Giles Forment, President of the International Dairy Federation, outlining the important work the IDF does in representing dairy at the highest political level. However, for me, the standout presentation was from Manuel Soares, CEO of Milc Group, who delivered a fascinating look into the future of robotics and AI, including the prospect of humanoid robots playing a role in dairy farming. It was genuinely mind-opening.

 

Melissa Bowers from Semex Embryos then spoke compellingly about the growing importance of genomics in driving future productivity, before the conference closed with an inspiring story from Steffan Richards, who has grown his herd from 40 cows to 3,500 in South West Wales.

 

Overall, Semex delivered a much-needed dose of optimism. The long-term outlook for dairy is bright – we just need to navigate the next 6 to 12 months.

 

I look forward to welcoming all sectors of the dairy industry here to Borderway for our UK Dairy Expo on the 13^th and 14^th of March, which is sure to provide another positive outlook for our sector.