Kategorie: News

The EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states in an advice to the European Commission that scientific evidence shows that calves with limited contact with their mother frequently suffer from isolation stress and an inability to suckle. To improve their welfare, the young animals should be kept with the dam for a minimum of one day, although longer contact is recommended due to the welfare benefits for both calf and cow.

In Spain the Dutch family business Royal A-ware takes over the dairy factory in Salas, from the France headquartered and stock market listed dairy Danone. In the factory, Danone previously produced quark and desserts, among other things. Royal A-ware intends to invest in the factory to make it more sustainable and future-proof. In Salas, Royal A-ware will start producing cow’s milk mozzarella from 2024. The milk that will be processed in Salas will come from dairy farmers in the region.

The France headquartered and stock market listed dairy Danone will in the USA invest 65 million US dollar in de production of drink coffee, coffee cream and plant based cream.

-Austria had in 2022 a number of 23178 dairy farms, which was 2.9 percent less than in 2021. Average they kept 23.8 cows and delivered 151000 kilogram milk.
-In Austria in 2022 a volume of 3.5 million tonnes milk (+2.9%) was taken in by dairies.
-Austria exported in 2022 a volume 181000 tonnes (+6.8%) cheese and imported 132000 tonnes (+-) cheese. Cheese is Austria’s main dairy export product. The export value of dairy products increased by 26.2 percent to a record of 1.7 billion (10*9) euro. The foreign trade balance was positive at EUR 643 million (+29.4%). Main export country for Austrian dairy products is Germany, in sequence followed by Italy, Holland and Greece. Austria is also imporing most dairy products from Germany, followed by the same countries in the same sequence.
-Austria exported in 2022 almost 24000 breeding cattle which was 717 head or 3.1 percent more than in 2021. Of those 55 percent were marketed within the European Union, the remaining 45 percent in third countries. The largest customer was Italy. Almost half of all animals went to Austria’s neighboring countries (11076 animals), followed by 5000 animals (21%) exported to the Near East and Central Asia and North Africa. Algeria had the largest share with 4800 animals (20%).

Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria have asked the European Union for extra financial support of their dairy industry. In the three countries dairy farmers and dairies are hit by the effects of the Ukraine war through high prices of feed and energy and low farmers milk prices.

In Poland the Denmark headquartered dairy cooperative Arla has opened a solar power plant. Producing an estimated 1620 MWh per year, the new solar power plant will deliver about 85 percent of the total energy consumption of the Tychowo site which is Arla’s repackaging site in Poland were power cuts and dropouts have been reoccurring obstacles. With the ability to store an additional 2.6 MWh in a battery, the investment will also be able to partly power the site at night adding to the stability.

In Germany in March compared to February 2023 the raw material or compound value of milk at farm decreased 0.4 eurocent to 38.6 eurocent per kilogram milk with 4.0 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein (exclusive VAT). This is 21.5 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 October 2024 at 45.8 eurocent. The lowest future price is the price for April and May 2023 at 37.6 eurocent.

In Germany in the southern state Bavaria, the dairy cooperative Bayerische Milchindustrie (BMI) will convert its Zapfendorf location into the most modern ingredients plant in Europe with a three-digit million euro investment. High-quality milk and whey derivatives will be produced in the new plant, which will be used primarily in products such as baby food and performance nutrition in late 2026. BMI has 30 milk supplying cooperatives, dairies and financing members. As one of the main German dairies BMI processes annually more than 800 million kilograms of milk and 2 billion (10*9) kilograms of whey at six production sites in Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. The export share is 49 percent. BMI is one of the largest whey processors in Germany; in addition, the production of cheese is another mainstay.

In Germany the southern dairy cooperative Schwarzwaldmilch will lose about ten percent of its milk delivered after 24 member farmers have terminated their membership per ultimo 2024. Together those farms deliver about 28 million kilogram milk on annual base. The leaving farmers state that the dairy its farmers milk price is too low compared to other dairies.

In Germany the dairy cooperative Hochwald has taken over the brand Tuffi and a license for the production of Landliebe milk rice from the private dairy Müller which took the brand names Tuffi, Landliebe and other brand names last year over from the Holland headquartered dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina. Tuffi is a main brand name in Germany for milk, milk drinks, kefir, buttermilk, cheese, soft cheese and cream. Also Landliebe is a main brand in Germany. The German cartel office required that Müller gave the Tuffi brand licenses for Landliebe milk rice to a competitor.

In Germany, in 2022 the share of organic milk was 4.2 percent of the total cow milk production. The production of organic milk increased in 2022 with 4.1 percent.

In Germany the share of cow milk produced with non-gmo feed has last ten years increased to 78.3 percent.

In the Belgian northern region of Flanders, the most important dairy region in 2022 milk production increased almost five percent and crossed for the first time the border of three billion (10*9) kilogram, 4.78 percent more than in 2021. This volume was produced by 3837 farms, four percent less than in the previous year.

In Holland in a six month test on dairy farms the methane-reducing feed additive for ruminants Bovaer decrease the methane emission average 28 percent. The test was initiated by the dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina, feed cooperative Agrifirm, and DSM which developed and produces Bovaer and was done on 158 dairy farms with 20000 cows. Feeding Bovaer showed no influence on the health and milk production of the cows or on the quality of the milk.

In Holland the dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina has opened a new lactoferrin production facility which increases the company’s total capacity from 20 metric tons to 80 metric tons per year. Studies have demonstrated that lactoferrin, a protein naturally present in human milk and to a lesser extent in cow milk, can provide several health benefits, including supporting the body immune response and resilience to disease. These immune-supporting properties have made lactoferrin a popular ingredient in infant formula and this is also why it is increasingly sought after for specialist adult nutrition applications.

In Holland the private dairy Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods has started production of milk powder from goat milk. For now the powders are made for the Asian and American markets, where goat milk powder is processed in the cheese and infant food industries. For the time being, Vreugdenhil is purchasing the goat milk from partners in the Netherlands so that customer relationships and volume can be built. Goat milk is easily digestible because its protein has a different composition than cow milk, making it particularly popular in Asian countries. Vreugdenhil states that in addition to goat milk, the company will also process organic milk and is looking at opportunities to process plant-based products. Vreugdenhil is specialised in milk powder, with four production locations in the Netherlands where it processes more than one billion (10*9) kilograms of milk per year into milk powder which is exported to 130 countries.

In Holland in 2022 a number of 59 dairy farms have been sold. Their average price was 3.26 million euro.

In Holland research of Wageningen University & Research shows that pasturing cows can decrease the methane emission of cows by up to 30 percent compared to cows that get a ration of grass silage. With full pasturing methane emission was 17.2 gram, feeding fresh grass in the barn resulted in a emission of 18.3 gram and feeding grass silage gave an emission of 21.3 gram. With pasturing in spring emission was even 14.5 gram.

Holland had in 2022 a number of 14700 dairy farms, which was three percent less than in 2021. Together they kept 1.57 million dairy cows which means an increase from average 103 to 107 cows per farms.

In Holland the dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina and the feed and arable cooperative Agrifirm have joined forces to launch a trial aimed at cultivating oats and soy on 200 hectares and 50 hectares respectively. The initiative involves thirty member dairy farms of RFC who will use the crops as raw materials for plant-based food production.