Scottish dairy team strengthened

Sophie Brewster has joined our Scottish dairy team as Knowledge Exchange Manager.

Sophie is no stranger to AHDB having worked for the organisation previously. She returns after seven years of being self-employed, running her own dairy herd initially as a contract farmer and more recently working with her husband and father in law at their dairy farm near Stirling. 

Sophie explains, “My passion lies in dairy farming, especially calf rearing and all the challenges that come with it.  On a broader note I love helping people get the most out of their industry, sharing knowledge and having the skills and confidence to make positive change. 

“The best way to do this is learning from others, whether they are fellow farmers who are driving and leading the industry, or working away quietly achieving their goals, not forgetting industry experts who excel in their chosen fields. There is always something to learn and someone who you can share your experience with.”

Sophie will work closely with AHDB’s Strategic Dairy Farm host Willie Baillie, from Hillhead of Covington farm, in Lanarkshire; along with new recruits James and Wallace Hendrie from Millands farm in Ayrshire who joined the Strategic Farm network in October. She will provide a link between Scottish dairy farmers, industry partners and AHDB by coordinating knowledge exchange activity and facilitating online events and face-to-face events when possible.

Paul Flanagan, Strategy Director for Dairy and Director of AHDB Scotland said: “Sophie is a great hire for us, as a dairy farmer herself she is fully aware of the pressures the industry and her fellow farmers are facing.  She will report into Doreen Anderson who joined the dairy team earlier this year and I am confident that together they will provide a really strong service to our levy payers in Scotland.”