Discounter, Lidl, says it is leading the charge in the private label shift to GM free milk in German.
Beleaguered dairy farmers in Germany are to receive at least US$111 (€100m or £76m) from the government in a bid to try and keep them in business. Germany’s Minister of Agriculture announced the package last month following an emergency “milk summit”.
Over 33 million tonnes of dairy produce come from Germany each year making it the European Union’s largest dairy producer.
Farmers across Europe have been battered by low prices since the demise of the quota system. Milk production has increased but with a lower demand prices have crashed.
As with most countries in Europe, dairy farmers in Germany are currently producing milk at a loss. According to the European Milk Board farmers there were receiving US$0.319 (28.66 euro cents or 21.8 pence) per kilo of milk in January but the cost of production was almost US$0.50 (45 euro cents per kilo or 34.5 pence/kg).
Source: Dairy Global, 14 july 2016
