Working Together: Recent Engagement Across the Co-operative Landscape

Over the past few months, from late 2025 into early 2026, Rory has spent time engaging with colleagues across the UK and beyond, taking part in meetings, training and events centred on one core theme: how co-operation can continue to deliver efficiency, sustainability and fair dealing for farmers while building constructive relationships across the supply chain.

In December, Rory attended a farmer representative meeting at the NFU in Stoneleigh alongside the ADPO (Association of Dairy Producer Organisations). The purpose was to help the wider dairy sector better understand how dairy producer organisations operate and the value they bring. Ensuring that understanding is in place is key to achieving the right power balance between processors and farmers and to demonstrating how collaboration can work to the benefit of all.

January then took Rory to Bristol to undertake Competition Law training. This is an essential area for anyone involved in Dairy Producer Organisations (DPOs).  

Acting collectively brings strength, but it must always sit firmly within the framework of the Competition Act. Maintaining that discipline safeguards both the integrity and the long-term future of Dairy Producer Organisations.

More recently, the Semex 2026 Conference in Glasgow provided a strong sense of momentum and opportunity. With a programme focused on innovation, technical performance and knowledge transfer, the event brought together leading voices from across the global dairy industry. It also served as a valuable platform to highlight the need and opportunity for continued investment in Scottish dairy, placing Scotland confidently on the international stage.

Alongside the conference, Rory hosted a visit to the Dourie Farming Company, giving delegates the opportunity to see Scottish dairy in action. Showcasing the standards, efficiency and collaborative structures that underpin the business was an important part of the wider message. The visit proved impactful, with guests leaving impressed by what they had seen and by the role co-operation plays in enabling the supply chain to succeed. Rory is keen that the dairy sector demonstrates to other co-operative sectors what can be achieved through working together effectively.

As Chair of SAOS, Rory sees his position as one of Governance and ambassadorship. While his own farming background is rooted in dairy and pigs, the role involves engaging with all sectors and looking for practical solutions that support members more widely. Later this month he will travel to Northern Ireland to learn more about egg production, continuing that process of listening, understanding and sharing knowledge.

At its heart, this work is about ensuring SAOS functions effectively, with a clear strategy that is delivered well, while helping to create a roadmap that other sectors can learn from. Co-operation is not simply something Rory advocates professionally; it underpins the way the business operates, with around 90 per cent of what is bought and sold within The Dourie Farming Company going through co-operatives. That lived experience reinforces his belief that, when done well, co-operation provides a highly competitive  and  sustainable foundation for the future of agriculture.