Excavation work starts on Sark's new dairy

Sark Dairy
The new dairy will cost £480,000 and is being funded by a charitable trust, but it still needs to raise nearly £300,000 in donations. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Excavation work has started on Sark's new dairy, three years after the old one closed.

The island had always produced its own milk and cream until recent years when milk has been imported from Guernsey.

Dr Richard Axton from the Sark Community Dairy Trust says the project is running about a month behind schedule due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The new dairy will cost £480,000 and is being funded by a charitable trust, but it still needs to raise nearly £300,000 in donations.

People are being invite to sponsor and name the dairy's new gate where the cows will cross, as well as a public viewing platform. Local artists have got involved to support the project.

Painting of the crossing have been created by local artists to support the project. Credit: Martin Remphry
Credit: Margaret Langlois

The idea behind the project is to preserve the island’s agricultural heritage and boost the economy.

Dairy farmers, Katharine and Jason Salisbury, who have a herd of pedigree Guernsey cows in Suffolk, will move to the island next year to become the first people to run the dairy.

The farm will be open to visitors who will be free to watch cows being fed and milked, as well as the production of products.