Dairy documentary to get local screening

A SPECIAL preview of a documentary following pioneering Galloway dairy farmers will take place in Dumfries next month.

‘A Dairy Story’ features David Finlay and his late wife Wilma who spent two decades developing Europe’s first commercially viable cow-with-calf dairy system - keeping calves with their mothers for months rather than separating them within hours of birth, as most dairy farms do.

Their homestead of Rainton Farm, near Gatehouse of Fleet, was previously the base for ice cream visitor attraction Cream o’ Galloway, but is now known for its artisan cheese, The Ethical Dairy.

The film carries particular significance following Wilma’s death earlier this year .

Filming began shortly after her diagnosis to document the transformative impact of her and David’s pioneering work, David said: “Wilma and I spent 20 years developing this system because we believed that working with natural systems and natural instincts could create benefits for the farm, for the animals and for the environment. “The success of the documentary at the film festivals its screened at so far is very exciting, but if this film helps even a few farmers see that cow-with-calf dairying is possible, or encourages consumers to ask questions about how food production can be more sustainable, then I’m happy with that.”

Producer Lorna Young is excited to be bringing the film back to the region and is looking forward to the preview, adding: “Bringing the film home to Dumfries and Galloway feels incredibly important. This is David and Wilma’s story, filmed in the beautiful Galloway landscape, showing work that is now influencing farmers across Europe and beyond. The Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre team have been wonderfully supportive, offering technical screening advice as we finalised the film, which is why we wanted to host a local screening with them first. The December preview gives our local community the chance to see it before it goes wider.”

A Dairy Story screens at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre on Thursday December 18 at 7.30 pm, for more information visit the centre’s website.