Planners spend a day on the farm to learn what keeps the dairy industry moo-ving

Torridge planning officers have been down on the farm to learn more about the pressures facing the UK dairy industry.

The group from Torridge District Council visited Seckington Dairies at Higher Clovelly, which has grown into a modern dairy operation with capacity for up to 2,000 cows.  

The event was organised by business advisors from North Devon+ and led by Seckington partner and owner Simon Goaman.

He explained the dairy’s evolution from its early beginnings to its current scale, outlining the economic, environmental and regulation issues that helped shape that.

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Representatives from the National Farmers Union (NFU) joined the meeting to explore the issues affecting rural economic growth.

The discussions centred on how planning processes can support agricultural businesses better by understanding the reasons behind planning applications, which are often made necessary by regulatory requirements, external organisations, or government‑funded initiatives rather than the farms themselves.

Council leader, Councillor Ken James, thanked North Devon+ for arranging ‘such a valuable meeting which was thoroughly beneficial for all parties’. 

He added: “Visiting Seckington Dairies has helped give officers a clearer picture of the challenges facing modern farming – as a farmer myself this is something that I feel very passionately about.

“Understanding the scale, regulations and practical needs of agricultural businesses helps us, as a council, with the decision-making process. I cannot stress how much we value opportunities like this to work collaboratively with the sector.”

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Simon Goaman said the visit was invaluable to help those making the decisions see for themselves the challenges and opportunities facing the dairy sector.

He said: “Collaborative conversations like this are essential if rural businesses are to thrive. All supply chains are fully dependant on strong robust farming businesses and here at Seckington Dairies we aim to demonstrate that thoroughly. 

What we want to see throughout our area is for more agricultural products being processed and distributed to the end customer. Any support to enable this to happen would be greatly appreciated.”