Supported by a new marketing campaign, Arla says that the product marque will allow consumers to easily identify products ‘responsibly sourced from a farmer-owned business where all the profits go back to its owners’ and where ‘the highest expectations for animal welfare and environmental standards’ have been met.
The co-operative has held a series of meetings with its 3,000 British farmers in recent weeks.
Board director Jonathan Ovens said: “I have been travelling across the country listening to our owners and I am hearing loud and clear that our farmer owners support the launch of this marque.”
NFU comment
“This announcement from Arla today is a positive move towards increased transparency and accountability in the way milk is sourced and labelled in the UK. At the NFU we will be continuing to talk to Arla and emphasising that this ‘farmer-owned marque’ should be independently audited to help re-build trust across the industry and for end users to sign up and support then be implemented as swiftly as possible. This is a credible alternative to other industry models. It is important that this marque delivers benefits for the long term, as well has helping alleviate current pressures
“We are starting to see dairy processors and retailers finally realising that we are experiencing a major crisis in the UK dairy industry, with nearly two farms leaving the industry every day, and that something must be done to ensure that high quality British milk is available now and into the future. It is vital that retailers and other food businesses listen to the message that is coming loud and clear from both farmers and consumers that now is the time to back British farming and make any necessary changes to take responsibility to ensure a sustainable sourcing commitment.”