MSP Brian Whittle has been celebrating the latest success of Farmer Bryce Cunningham and the team at Mossgiel Farm in Mauchline. During a recent visit to the farm, South Scotland MSP Brian was given a tour of the bottling facility and introduced to the ‘Mossgiel Girls’, the farm’s 80 strong herd of cows.
Famed for once being the farm of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, its current tenants are building a new reputation for sustainable, environmentally friendly farming. Following a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign to eliminate single use plastic from their business, the organic dairy farm has now begun making home deliveries using new glass bottles. Tired of supplying milk to huge industrial dairies for a painfully low price, third generation farmer Bryce decided to take a different, more sustainable path. The farm is now one of only three certified Organic dairy farms in Ayrshire and supplies its milk directly to consumers and local businesses such as cafes and coffee shops.
Mossgiel also pasteurises milk from the other local organic farms and farmer Bryce is keen to encourage other farmers in the area to consider going organic too. Earlier this year, the farm won the Scottish Land & Estates Innovation in Farming Award in recognition of its efforts to find new ways to make farming sustainable.
Following his visit, Brian has lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament recognising the efforts of Bryce and the team at Mossgiel and congratulating them on their success. In Parliament, he also raised the challenges facing small farmers who want to supply their local schools through the national procurement framework.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“It was great to visit Mossgiel Farm and hear from Bryce about his plans for the future. Bryce and his team have put a huge amount of work into creating a sustainable, organic dairy farm. The ambition he’s already shown with his crowdfunding campaign is paying off already and I’m delighted to hear that there’s already huge demand for the farm’s new online ordering and home delivery service.
Scotland has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the finest quality produce in the world, but as a society, we don’t give enough credit to the time, money and hard work by farmers that goes into creating that produce.
With more people becoming aware of the impact that plastic has on our environment, I’m delighted to see an Ayrshire farm leading the way and I look forward to seeing how Mossgiel and other farms across the region continue to develop and grow in the future.”
Bryce Cunningham from Mossgiel Farm, said:
“We really enjoyed hosting Brian at our family farm, to discuss our plans and show him our vision for a sustainable, plastic-free future. It was heartening to hear of Brian’s support for what our team are trying to achieve and his views on the hard-working food producers around Scotland who strive to keep high-quality, sustainable food on the plates of our amazing nation.”
