DECOUPLED premiums, the Single Farm Payment and further reductions in milk price as intervention support is gradually dismantled will all have their effect on the South West dairy farming sector.

But while producers have to accept these external factors, there's much that can be done to mitigate them by careful management of the internal factors, says Cogent Breeding's Hugh Pocock, the cattle genetics company's sire analyst.

In particular, he says finding and applying the right genetics to a herd is one of the most effective means of advancing the dairy enterprise.

"The south-western climate lends itself very well to grass production," Mr Pocock points out, "which means grass has more influence than concentrates in the region's milk production. There's also a higher proportion of smaller, family-run farms. Together, this generally results in a less extensive, lower-cost production system, which demands a sire with particular traits.

"But with the milk marketplace highly focused on processing, the components still feature heavily."

He says dairy farmers in the South West should seek robust, hardy cows not over big in stature.

"For an extensive system, legs and feet should score highly and it should go without saying good fertility is a must."

He has identified a quartet of Cogent bulls he believes are eminently suited to the region's dairy needs.

"They all have one thing in common - they're "positive lifespan" bulls, delivering cows with the long-lasting type we're all looking for.

"Roxell is particularly impressive on this front," he explains, "coming from a family well-known for slow-maturing cattle. The seven generations behind Roxell lived to an average age of 13 years."

Patriot, says Mr Pocock, has a similar appeal. "His popularity's increasing as commercial dairy herds seek an easy-to-manage, robust cow that can carry extra condition. Flat lactation curves make him the ideal sire for cattle that suffer from high negative energy balances in early lactation.

Changes to the CAP will have a significant effect on dairy bull calves. They've been worth a pittance in recent years, but soon even that value will plummet.

"We've had increased interest in Sexed Semen as producers really begin to recognise its full benefits.

"Essentially, you can almost double the number of heifer calves born, and ensure they're born to your best cows. It fast-tracks your breeding objectives, because you can almost guarantee top-quality herd replacements from your best cows. By putting the remaining cows to beef bulls, you also get a better return overall.

Another bull is Shaker, who's also known as "The Cheese Maker".

Bodmin farmer Neil Hugo, is one of many in the region to have seen the benefit of daughters from Patriot and Shaker. In the past, he's also been a keen advocate of the Cogent sires Figaro, Principal and Knightingale

"One of the best performers from my 140-strong herd is Corgee Patriot Brenda, who's now rated VG85," he says.

"Her mother was a very sharp and angular Principal daughter, but Patriot's put in extra strength and chest width, as well as a fantastic temperament.

"She's also a good calver - three calves, all within the year, with an impressive lactation to boot. Her first lactation delivered 10,547kg; there was a slight dip in the second, but her third looks like it's going to be well on-form," Mr Hugo notes.

"Her most recent calf was to Lucente, and her previous calf was to Shaker, using Sexed Semen - another Cogent product with which we've had good results. We now have about 15-20 Sexed Semen daughters who will shortly join the herd."

Mr Hugo sees no reason why that figure won't increase further over time, particularly with Cogent offering the product for all its top sires.

Last but not least in Mr Pocock's South West shortlist is Obut, also known as the "Fat Magician". Obut's proved his worth to dairy producers around the world, thanks to the winning combination of average-sized cattle that develop slowly and produce high-quality milk.

"He is somewhat under-rated," says Mr Pocock, "but producers are beginning to notice him.

"Not over big, he sires easy calving cows with a good balance of features. His excellent scores on feet and legs, and excellent locomotion, are well-suited to a more extensive grazing system.

"These four bulls have an average reliability score of 91 per cent, with the proofs based solely on daughters milking in the UK. This means there is much less chance of many of the nasty surprises associated with foreign bulls with figures based on converted proofs," said Mr Pocock.