Dairy documentary to get world and UK premieres

A DOCUMENTARY feature telling the story of a Galloway farm’s transformation from conventional to cow-with-calf dairy farming will get a UK and a world premiere.

‘A Dairy Story’ follows pioneering husband and wife team The Finlays who proved keeping dairy calves with their mothers is commercially viable.

It’s set to air for the first time at the IndieCork Film Festival next month, followed by the Central Scotland Documentary Festival on November 1.

The show follows David and Wilma Finlay of Rainton Farm, who pioneered what became Europe’s first commercially viable cow-with-calf dairy system.

For more than 20 years they operated as Cream o’ Galloway visitor centre, but the 340 hectare farm is now better known as The Ethical Dairy, milking 120 cows in a system that keeps calves with their mothers.

The couple converted to organic in the early 2000s, before introducing their pioneering system, initially as a pilot in 2012 and permanently in 2016.

They weathered years of industry scepticism and financial strain, with David admitting in the film: “It was probably as bleak a time as I can remember in farming, where we had committed ourselves to doing something which was controversial, and a lot of people were praying that it would fail.”

However, their regenerative approach, which is designed around the milking herd’s maternal instincts as well as nature-friendly farming approaches, has led to reductions in labour costs, antibiotic use, greenhouse gas emissions and agro-chemical use, while increasing calf growth, biodiversity, soil carbon, and herd health.

In his debut, Dumfries-based director Ian Findlay wanted to capture the story of a farm that he had photographed many times.

He said: “The goal was simply to put a window on this remarkable farm, to explain how their system works and to show the dynamics between the herd, their calves and the people who work on the farm.

“What emerged was a story about courage, conviction, and the bonds that make farming - and life - meaningful. I’m thrilled that A Dairy Story has been selected for both IndieCork and Central Scotland Documentary Festival, and I’m looking forward to sharing David and Wilma’s story with audiences.”

The launch of the documentary carries added poignancy following Wilma’s death from cancer in March. Filming began shortly after her diagnosis in 2022 and lasted two years, following calves from birth to weaning, documenting interactions between dairy cows and their calves rarely seen within a working commercial dairy.

Producer Lorna Young said: “We knew we had only a short time to document not just their farming system, but also the passion and conviction that drove Wilma and David to challenge industry norms. This film is as much about human resilience and the courage to stand up for what you believe in as it is about farming.”

Meanwhile, David is kept busy with a growing global interest in cow-with-calf dairy farming. He serves on the advisory board of TransformDairyNet, a €3 million EU project that aims to promote cow-calf contact systems. The three-year initiative will establish 11 national hubs to share knowledge about keeping dairy calves with their mothers.

Last month he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by SRUC for his contribution to sustainable agriculture, and on October 21 he will address the World Dairy Summit in Chile, speaking about ‘Dairying Beyond the Paradigm.’

David added: “When we started this journey, people thought we were mad. Now we’re seeing growing interest from farmers across Europe who want to explore alternative ways to do dairy farming. The EU investment in cow-calf research shows this isn’t just about our farm, it’s about the future of the industry.

“I’m proud that cow-with-calf dairying and regenerative farming systems are now being taken increasingly seriously. In Scotland we have the knowledge, the landscapes and the farming traditions to lead a regenerative agriculture transformation.”

More information about the film can be found at www.adairystory.com