By Stuart Gillespie

Copyright dailyrecord

A documentary telling the story of a Stewartry farm’s switch from conventional to cow-with-calf dairy farming is set to have its world premiere. A Dairy Story follows David and Wilma Finlay of Rainton Farm near Gatehouse, who led what became Europe’s first commercially viable cow-with-calf dairy system. It will be shown at IndieCork Film Festival in mid-October before its UK premiere at Central Scotland Documentary Festival on November 1. Rainton farm was home to Cream o’ Galloway ice cream and is now known for The Ethical Dairy cheese business, milking 120 cows in a system that keeps calves with their mothers, rather than the standard dairy farming practice of separating cows and calves shortly after birth. The Finlays converted their conventional dairy farm to organic in the early 2000s, before introducing their pioneering their cow-with-calf system, initially as a pilot in 2012 and introduced permanently in 2016. They weathered years of industry scepticism and financial strain, with David admitting in the film: “It was probably as bleak a time as I can remember in farming, where we had committed ourselves to doing something which was controversial, and a lot of people were praying that it would fail.” Their regenerative approach to dairy farming, which is designed around the milking herd’s maternal instincts as well as nature-friendly farming approaches, has led to reductions in labour costs, antibiotic use, greenhouse gas emissions and agro-chemical use, while increasing calf growth, biodiversity, soil carbon, and herd health. Dumfries-based film maker and first-time director, Ian Findlay, said: “The goal of the documentary was simply to put a window on this remarkable farm, to explain how their farming system works and to show the dynamics between the herd, their calves and the people who work on the farm. “What emerged was a story about courage, conviction, and the bonds that make farming – and life – meaningful. I’m thrilled that A Dairy Story has been selected for both IndieCork and Central Scotland Documentary Festival, and I’m looking forward to sharing David and Wilma’s story with audiences.” The launch of the documentary carries added poignancy following Wilma’s death from cancer in March. Filming began shortly after her diagnosis in 2022 to record the transformative impact of her and David’s pioneering work. Producer Lorna Young said: “We knew we had only a short time to document not just their farming system, but also the passion and conviction that drove Wilma and David to challenge industry norms. This film is as much about human resilience and the courage to stand up for what you believe in as it is about farming.” Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. “David and Wilma’s story is a hopeful one, and with the environmental and animal welfare impacts of farming under scrutiny like never before, their pioneering work demonstrates how working with natural systems can make a positive difference.” Filmed over two years, the documentary follows calves from birth to weaning, documenting interactions between dairy cows and their calves rarely seen within a working commercial dairy. It also features contributions from Rainton’s dairy manager, Charles Ellett, who previously worked at a 1,500-cow herd zero grazing dairy farm, and veterinary surgeon Ruth Layton, an animal food systems specialist and former chair of the Food Ethics Council.