The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers officially re-launched the Dairy Event today, Friday 22 February, at a media briefing in the House of Lords.

Re-branded The Dairy Event and Livestock Show, the two day specialist event will offer comprehensive technical, business and financial information for the entire UK ruminant sector at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 17 and 18 September.

While dairying will remain at the heart of the business to business event, with competitive dairy cattle classes continuing as a key feature, this year will see the addition of activities specifically dedicated to beef, sheep and commercial goat producers, together with those farming commercial native breeds.

Practical working demonstrations, specialist diversification and technical exhibitions, together with a number of new initiatives designed to reconnect the entire food chain, will combine to offer a one-stop service for all livestock farmers.

"For more than 130 years, RABDF has been proud to organise the UK's leading event in the dairy sector," explained RABDF chief executive, Nick Everington. "However, we are aware from extensive research carried out at previous Dairy Events that the majority of our visitors manage more than just dairying as a livestock enterprise: 40% of our visitors farm beef cattle, 28% sheep, and 13% sucklers. In addition there is a small, yet fast growing commercial goat farming sector that regularly attends the event.

"To compete in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, we believe that livestock producers need to be equally efficient in all their enterprises, not just their key business of dairying. To do this requires time and effort to keep up to speed with the latest technical developments in these different areas," he said.

"By working with the National Beef Association, the National Sheep Association, the British Goat Society and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, we have developed specific exhibitions for these other sectors, which will broaden the scope of the event to the extent that livestock farmers with multi-species enterprises will be able to obtain all the information they need from this one event.

"The mixer wagon, tele-handler and farm health planning demonstrations scheduled for the event will also be of equal interest to all ruminant livestock farmers, as will the free silage analysis and soil assessment clinics.

"Furthermore, our exhibitors will benefit from this new event," Mr Everington said adding: "More than 75% of them already market products for beef, sheep and goat farmers as well as dairy. By broadening the scope of the event, they will be able to promote a wider range of their products to a much larger visitor audience."

HSBC's agriculture director, Martin Coward said: "As principal sponsor of the Dairy Event for over 30 years, we are delighted to continue our support for the industry. We are as committed as ever to investing in the future of dairy farming, and RABDF's re-launched Dairy Event and Livestock Show with its widening appeal, will enable us to demonstrate that same allegiance to the entire ruminant sector.

"We firmly believe that specialist business to business events like the Dairy Event and Livestock Show will have an ever increasing role within the industry, not only to supply the latest technical, marketing and financial information and advice to farmers, but also in helping to build much needed collaboration throughout the food chain. HSBC is committed to the agriculture industry and proud to be principal sponsor of the Dairy Event and Livestock Show."