FAIRNESS and transparency in the dairy supply chain will be crucial for the sector to deliver its full potential after Brexit.

Paul Tompkins, newly-elected vice-chairman of the NFU’s national dairy board, said the Government has an important role to play in ensuring and enforcing that fairness.

“Across our region, dairy farmers work hard every day of the year to produce a superb product and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring they are represented at every level, he said.

“This will be especially important as Brexit and the Government’s proposals for a new domestic agriculture policy present us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape our future for the better.”

Mr Tompkins farms at Melbourne near York, producing milk from his herd of 250 pedigree Holstein cows.

He was elected national vice-chairman, only six weeks after becoming regional chairman.

Speaking after last week’s election, he said some of the fog around future agricultural policy was beginning to lift and it was apparent that the government has high expectations of dairy farmers.

He said: “I’m confident we can deliver what is being asked of us – namely the development of a productive, innovative sector that delivers high animal welfare and quality, nutritious food, while contributing to the health of the nation, minimising our environmental footprint, caring for the countryside and engaging with people about how their food is produced.

“However, I am concerned that fairness in the supply chain is a prerequisite for the progress we all want to see. Only when we achieve a fair supply chain can dairy farmers prosper and the Government has an important role to play in enforcing that fairness.”