Autor: Birgit Buddendiek

In Holland the Central Bureau of Food Trade, which mainly represents supermarkets, wants the minimum standard for outdoor grazing to be allowed to carry the predicate meadow milk to be increased from 120 to 180 days a year.

In the United Kingdom the Denmark headquartered dairy cooperative Arla which daughter Arla UK is the UK’s largest dairy cooperative has signed a new, four-year contract with ASDA, one of the leading supermarkets. The new contract which runs for four years until 2027, will see Arla continue to be ASDA’s strategic dairy partner supplying their private label milk, cream, cheese, and butter. During this period Arla farmer owners will supply over three billion (10*9) litres of milk utilised across the product range – a deal which is the UK’s largest private label dairy contract.

In Ireland 69 percent of the dairy farms has less than 100 cows, 93 percent has less than 200 cows and 3.5 percent has more than 250 cows.

In Ireland most cows calve in the spring. By early July more than 200000 calves had been exported from Ireland this year. That is 22 percent more than last year. Almost all exported calves are born from dairy cows. Of the exported calves 56 percent had a dairy bull as a sire and 44 percent had a beef bull as a sire.

In Denmark the technical university DTU has developed a new cheese culture that can be used to produce an aged cheese in half the time. A cheese culture has the task of producing lactic acid and ripening enzymes. The ripening enzymes are found inside the lactic acid bacteria and are normally released slowly during the cheese ripening period. The problem with existing solutions is that this process takes place slowly and only partially. The DTU Food Institute has developed a culture which releases all ripening enzymes at once, which results in faster ripening. The culture can be used like any other cheese culture, and requires no other equipment than what is already in the dairies. The method, which is 100 percent natural, represents a new way of thinking about dairy production, according to DTU.

The Denmark headquartered dairy cooperative Arla rewards starting August farmers who are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint through a new sustainability incentive model. This point-based system rewards past and future climate and environmental sustainability activities. For every activity the farmer can collect points if they meet specific criteria. Each point that the farmer achieves will bring 0.03 eurocent per kilogram of milk they deliver to Arla. Activities with the biggest improvement potential trigger the most points. Farmers can currently score a maximum of 80 points. The model is designed to reward farmers with up to three eurocents per kilo milk from the model plus one eurocent per kilogram milk for taking part in the annual climate check as part of their monthly milk payment.

In Sweden over the past 30 years eight of ten dairy farmers have stopped farming, the remaining farms have and are becoming larger. Milk production per cow has increased but the national milk production has decreased by 20 percent. Researchers from several disciplines will investigate which indicators have contributed to the structural change in the Swedish dairy sector to learn from the past and create opportunities for a sustainable future for the Swedish dairy industry.

In Sweden it is now allowed again for food businesses to store cheese according to traditional methods in, for example, underground cellars and caves. In Sweden, underground cellars, caves and similar spaces have traditionally been used for storing cheese. In this type of maturation storage, the cheeses acquire a special character that cannot be achieved in other storage conditions. Since 2004 this was hardly possible because of governmental regulations. New regulations have made it easier.

In Norway the dairy sector and the meat sector, led by the largest dairy cooperative Tine, have started a project to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Part of the project is the use of methane inhibitors when using specific Norwegian feed rations.

In Austria a number of 18000 dairy farms with 437000 cows participate in milk production control. That is 83.7 percent of the dairy farms. Last year, the number of participating farms decreased by 370 and the number of cows that are checked increased by 1607. In Austria, milk production control is carried out by eight organisations.

In Austria in 2022 a number of 28600 milk sheep (- 0.9%) produced average 408 kilogram milk (+9.1%). Of the production 10200 tonnes or 87.1 percent was used for human consumption and 1400 tonnes (11.9%) was fed to animals and one percent was spoiled. Source: Statistics Austria
In Austria in 2022 a number of 40400 (+2.5%) milk goats with an average production of 647 (-4.0%) kilogram milk produced a total volume of 26100 (-1.6%) tonnes milk. Of this 90.4 percent was used for human consumption and 8.6 percent was used for animal feed or other purposes. Source: Statistics Austria

Austrian cows produced in 2022 a volume of 3.9 million tonnes milk. This was 2.9 percent more than in 2021. Average milk production was with 7300 kilogram the same as in 2021. Of the produced milk 88.8 percent (+2.9%) was processed in dairies, 6.6 percent was fed to animals on the farm of origin and 3.6 percent was processed and or consumed on the farm of origin. Source: Statistics Austria

In Germany in June compared to May 2023 the raw material or compound value of milk at farm increased 0.6 eurocent to 37.0 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 28.8 eurocent less than in the same month one year before. The highest future price of milk for the next 18 months on the Kieler Börsenmilchwert European Energy Exchange is the price for January 2025 at 44.2 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for August 2023 at 36.6 eurocent.

In Germany the dairy cooperative Schwarzwaldmilch has acquired the license to manufacture and sell Landliebe fresh mixed milk drinks and Landliebe fresh milk in glass bottles. Landliebe is a main brand in Germany. The private dairy Müller took the brand name Landliebe and other brand names last year over from the Holland headquartered dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina. The German cartel office required that Müller gave the brand licenses for Landliebe to a competitor.

In Germany the Switzerland headquartered private manufacturer of dairy products Emmi is divesting the Gläserne Molkerei, a northeast German-based company specialising in the production of regional organic dairy products, to Mutares with headquarters in the German Munich. The transaction is consistent with Emmi’s ongoing portfolio transformation and focus on profitable strategic markets and niches such as ready-to-drink coffee, speciality cheeses, premium chilled desserts and plant-based dairy alternatives, according to Emmi. The Gläserne Molkerei generated sales of around 100 million euro with over 120 employees in 2022.