People are at the heart of our business
Central to everything we do
People are at the heart of our business and are central to everything we do. We can only deliver our ambitious plans with the support of our farmers and colleagues.
Our farmers are proud to be part of a co-operative and we work together to help our members plan for the future and develop their farming businesses for the next generation.
Our ethos
People and communities
We treat each other and everyone we deal with fairly and this shapes everything from our strategic decision-making to how we behave day-to-day.
Next Generation programme
We want our members and suppliers to be proud of being part of First Milk, and we want to play our part in demonstrating that the dairy industry offers attractive careers.
We run an an active Next Generation programme to encourage and equip young people to help grow the farming businesses they are involved in. Over 200 of our young members now participate in the programme.
We also support attendance for five young members on the RABDF Entrepreneurs in Dairying programme each year
Women in Agriculture
The agricultural industry has traditionally been male dominated, but women have always played a vital role across the sector.
We are keen to encourage more women into the industry and so we have several active Women in Agriculture groups across the country to offer support and networking amongst our female farmer members.
Collaborative projects
To support the wider community, we regularly collaborate with wider projects, including our annual charity fundraising to raise money for an employee-nominated charity.
We also work on innovative projects, such as the Digital Dairy Chain, an exciting £21m five-year collaborative project designed to connect the dairy chains across Cumbria and South and West Scotland. As part of this project, our member farms have been hosting primary school children as part of their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) curriculum.
Training and development
We are investing more than ever in training and development to create a culture that’s open, honest and empowers our colleagues to always achieve their best. Over the last few years, our colleagues have completed more than 3,000 hours of training to enhance their development.
The wellbeing of our team is just as important to us, so we offer an Employee Assistance Programme and have trained Mental Health First Aiders right across our business. We also work with Mates in Mind, a leading UK charity raising awareness of mental health. We also offer a wide-ranging employee discount programme.