‘It’s very challenging’: how the Duke of Westminster’s farm is taking on the climate crisis

There is a distinctive smell of cow manure in the air at the Duke of Westminster’s dairy farm near Chester. View image in fullscreen Mark Roach, the managing director of Grosvenor Farms, says oversupply has led to price reductions of up to 50% this year. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The GuardianThis year’s heatwaves – supercharged by the escalating climate crisis – have piled more pressure on farmers. Many British farms are lossmaking, while Lea Manor – Grosvenor’s only dairy farm – is profitable, after a big revamp starting in 2012 to improve efficiency using technology. Recurring bovine tuberculosis is another challenge for dairy farms, with testing often unreliable and no vaccine available.