Such is the number of East European immigrants working in British farming that the Milk and Dairy Council (MDC) is producing training DVDs to help them work effectively.
Best Practice on a Dairy Farm is the second MDC training DVD for East European farm workers. It’s available in 10 languages including Polish and Lithuanian, and explains in 39 minutes and 11 sections what dairy workers need to know about modern milk production.
This includes coverage of feeding, stock and machinery handling and health and safety topics.
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Yorkshire dairy farmer Tom Rawson uses the DVD to train Polish workers who help look after his 250-strong herd near Dewsbury. He said it saved him from using theatrical gestures and drawings when explaining particular topics to the Poles.
“I thought it was really good and they were enthralled. It covered many subjects I couldn’t even begin to explain myself such as breeding.”