TWO NEW area managers have been appointed to the milk recording team of the Cattle Information Service.

Karen Scullion will now be covering Central Scotland, Dumfriesshire and the Borders, while Aimee Dryden will be covering South West Scotland.

As area managers, they will be liaising with farmers, developing good working relationships and assisting customers with their farms, businesses and herds. Other aspects of the role will include HR, business development, health and safety, coordinating milk recorders and assisting in the management of milk records.

Karen started her career as a contract milk recorder in 1988 before becoming an employed milk recorder in 2000 and then an area supervisor from 2002. Her promotion to CIS area manager covering Central Scotland, Dumfriesshire and the Borders, will see her support milk recorders and dairy farmers across the region.

Ms Scullion said: “My grandfather was a dairyman and I used to help out from the age of 14, so farming has always been an engrained passion. In this new position as area manager I look forward to ensuring the smooth running of my area, providing a first-class milk recording service. As a main point of contact for existing and prospective customers, I will be working hard to promote group services, industry developments and working with customers to implement new changes to benefit herd performance.”

Ms Dryden is a 2015 graduate in Microbiology at Glasgow Caledonian University and an active member of Young Farmers with dairy farming in her roots. She commented: “CIS is a growing and progressive company with an excellent reputation. I was immediately drawn to work for the business, which is now allowing me to develop my knowledge and passion of the dairy industry.

"I am thoroughly looking forward to meeting customers and strengthening communication between farmer and, milk recorder. I will be highlighting our range of services which enable dairy farmers to make informed decisions about future production.”

Head of Field Services at CIS, Janette Mathie, said: “The CIS team help farmers to focus on breeding, health, management, profit and deliver the necessary services to refine production methods on farm. We’re continually investing to enhance and improve our services – and by developing and strengthening our calibre of highly knowledgeable dairy experts, we’re able to deliver informed and trusted on-farm knowledge. We welcome Karen and Aimee to our growing team.”