Exclusive Interview with Mike Pinches: President of the Society of Dairy Technology, Speaker, and Proud Supporter of Dairy Industries Expo!

1. What in your background prepared you for your current role?

I grew up on a dairy small holding and spent my young days milking cows. My father died when I was quite young and I left grammar school early to help with the work at home. My first job was with The Milk Marketing Board of England and Wales, in a creamery making butter and skimmed milk powder. I was then sponsored for three years studying dairy technology at Reaseheath. I have spent all my life in the industry.

1. What do you think is the biggest issue facing the UK dairy industry right now?

In one word – Uncertainty. Dairy is one of the most important agricultural sectors in this country but despite huge potential for future contributions to nutrition and prosperity, it faces challenges.

A topic we sought to highlight in our 2024 Autumn Symposium was that the supply chain starts on dairy farms. The European Union has sustainability and environmental policies in place; the UK government includes dairy in its Environmental Land Management Scheme and Net Zero Strategy.

Although both the EU and UK governments say the schemes are designed to reduce environmental impacts of dairy farming without creating supply shortages, it represents change without a known outcome. Regulations come on top of economic factors already in place, including increases in the cost of feed, energy and labour, plus increased recruitment difficulty. These things can reduce confidence at a time when certainty and investment is increasingly needed. The recently announced UK inheritance tax changes have served to increase the amount of adverse discussion; whether it will have a real impact is yet to be seen, but the dialogue is not helpful.

In processing, the biggest challenge I hear about is the cost of energy and the cost impacts. Brexit produced changes in EU/UK trade – veterinary inspections, border checks and regulatory changes impacting the movement of dairy products, which leads to difficult discussions and large amounts of paperwork.

In the longer term, the UK has slipped down the international leagues in training for dairy scientists and technologists. There are some bright spots, such as Reaseheath College and the Eden foundation degree in dairy technology, but across the country most of the food science or technology courses have experienced drops in student numbers. Dairy research has taken a similar drop. These things store up potential problems for our industry.

1. How has the SDT evolved over the past few years?

The Society was set up in 1943 with the original objective “to facilitate contact and discussion between representatives of all sections of our many sided society.” Currently, the objectives remain the same but we have attempted to improve the ways in which we can deliver them. It is now 10 years since we updated the Society logo with the descriptive line, “Passion for Dairy.”

Recently, we have renewed efforts to reinvigorate regional activities.  We now have regional chairpersons organising events for their own areas, with knowledge transfer and networking. We support three national symposia each year, where topical and current papers are delivered to delegates, and an annual dinner where people can get together and share knowledge while exchanging views.

Our flagship publication is the International Journal of Dairy Technology, published quarterly and containing papers and articles at the interface of fundamental dairy research and practical technological challenges, plus a range of technical books. Recently the Society launched an online training academy to offer E-learning modules where members can gain remote access to training courses on a variety of dairy subjects, with certification upon completion.

1. What do you expect to see as president?

I am very fortunate to be taking up the role now, as I am following an active and capable immediate past President, am surrounded by a fabulous Society council, a very capable and successful editor in chief of the International Journal of Dairy Technology, along with an outstanding executive director.

This allows me to take time to consider what is needed to build on the success of the past. Right now, it’s about continuing to reach out to others who can help us develop. I see student support with the Eden programme as an important role, to explore what we can do to organise direct opportunities for practical training – advancement of professional development through knowledge transfer is an important part of Society objectives.

1. What do you consider your greatest achievement/challenge?

That is really two questions! The greatest achievement was to be part of a small team that introduced bacteriophage management to our industry. Every process that relies on the use of bacterial fermentation to make a product will at some time, struggle with the presence of bacteriophage and these were the primary cause of failure in the cheese industry. In the 1980s, around 20 per cent of a cheese plant’s production would be outside parameters due to variable performances of starter cultures from bacteriophage attack. We introduced a programme that addressed the sources of contamination, detection methods and potential control procedures. It reduced failures by over 90 per cent.

A challenge is to convince those who have no experience of what it was like before the management techniques, to keep their eye on the bacteriophage ball – they remain ubiquitous.

1. What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day starts with a walk. I still work a few days a month in my own small consultancy and get involved in training or troubleshooting for fermentation of dairy products. I will spend several hours either on my own work, going over Society affairs or other volunteering duties. At the end of the day I relax by listening to music – I am a long-time fan of music from the southern US from the mid-20^th century.

1. Outside of work, what are your hobbies/interests?

I am also a volunteer and chairman of our local Community Amateur Sports Club. The club holds a quiz every month and I am both question setter and quizmaster. Further, I am a founder member of the Shropshire Club, which exists to raise money for Hope House Children’s Hospice – it is very rewarding.