The South West Dairy Development Centre (SWDDC) is one of the UK’s leading testbeds for dairy innovation, offering state-of-the‑art facilities for research, development and demonstration. With comprehensive data capture across both housed and pasture-based systems, the centre provides a powerful environment for agri‑tech businesses to trial new technologies, validate performance and understand their impact on productivity, sustainability and herd welfare.
Home to a 200‑cow, all‑year‑round calving herd, the centre gathers industry‑leading levels of individual animal data. This creates a uniquely rich environment for testing new technologies, validating performance and understanding their impact on productivity, cow health and welfare.
SWDDC provides a unique proving ground for agri-tech businesses aiming to improve efficiency, sustainability and herd welfare. They use the centre to:
- Test and trial innovations in a commercial dairy environment
- Generate high‑quality data for product validation and research
- Develop new sensors and train AI models
- Demonstrate technologies to farmers, investors and industry groups
- Collaborate on innovation projects with expert technical support
At SWDDC, cows choose when to eat, rest and be milked within a fully automated, sensor‑rich system. This calm, high-welfare environment enables agri-tech companies to trial robotics, digital tools and precision systems under commercial, yet controlled, conditions.
The centre features:
- Automated milking and feeding systems
- Grazing across a 42‑hectare platform
- The UK’s first fabric‑roofed dairy building
- An observational meeting space overlooking the herd
- Relocated robotic units for improved operational efficiency
Current and recent projects include robotic milking advances, chemical‑free milking trials, hoof health monitoring, grassland modelling, sensor integration and immunity research. The centre operates in collaboration with Steanbow Farms, a family‑run Somerset farm.
To get involved or discuss trial opportunities, contact Dairy Technical Manager Mike Jones at [email protected].
In collaboration with:
Steanbow farms is a family run farm in the heart of Somerset, UK. Caring for livestock and land since 1972. The Christensen family has been farming Steanbow Farms in Pilton, Somerset, since 1972 when Finn took on a three-generation tenancy. Two of Finn’s sons, Neil and Mike, returned to work the farm in 1990 and together the three bought the farm in 1992 ; building the farm up to everything it stands for today.
Farm Network
Our innovation farm network is a network made-up of commercial farms, serving as real-world testbeds for agri-tech trials, research and development. This collaborative environment breaks down barriers to adoption and accelerates the development and commercialisation of new agri-tech products. It establishes new benchmarks in agricultural excellence, providing the right environment for agri-tech developers to innovate and collaborate with farmers.
