Arla farmer owner hosts dairy farm event
Frampton farmer owner George Holmes welcomed invited guests, including Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset to his farm over the weekend.
Over 20 people attended the event, including Minette Batters, Vice President of the NFU, the first in a series of meet and greets aimed at driving a greater understanding of the day-to-day role of an Arla dairy farmer. The special day was also aimed at spreading greater knowledge of the farmer-owned principles of Arla, where all benefits are shared by its circa 13,000 farmer owners across Europe, including 3,000 in the UK.
George was joined at Littlewood Farm by other Arla farmer-owners and herd managers from across Dorset and South Somerset, including Emily Spicer, who runs a dairy farm in Dorset, and Shirley Preston, an organic farmer from West Dorset.
During the open afternoon, invited guests were given the opportunity to see cows being milked, welcome newly born calves, and sample the range of Arla dairy products made from the company’s farmer-owners’ milk.
In recent months, Arla has focused on trying to minimise the impact of the downturn of milk prices, through the launch of a farmer-owned marque, which will appear on Arla branded products from the autumn. The product marque will enable consumers to easily identify and trust that when they buy Arla branded dairy products they are responsibly sourced from a farmer-owned business, where all the profits go back to its owners, and which has the highest expectations for animal welfare and environmental standards throughout its supply chain.
Commenting on the Open Farm Day, George Holmes, Arla farmer owner, said: “As Arla farmer owners, we’re committed to producing high-quality milk which is full of natural goodness. Opening up our farm to the local community is a great way to help achieve this.
“At a time when our industry faces unprecedented pressure, it is now more important than ever for consumers to recognise the value of dairy, and know that when they buy Arla, they are buying products that directly benefit dairy farmers.”
Arla Foods is a global dairy company and co-operative owned by circa 13,000 dairy farmers around 3,000 of whom are British.
Dating back to 1881, Arla’s purpose is to secure the highest value for its farmers’ milk, while creating opportunities for their growth. With production facilities in 11 countries and sales offices in a further 30, Arla is the world’s fifth largest dairy company and largest supplier of organic dairy products. Arla has a total of more than 18,000 colleagues and its products are sold under the well-known brands Arla®, Lurpak® and Castello® in more than 100 countries.
Arla Foods UK is the largest dairy company in the country and is home to leading dairy brands Anchor, Cravendale, and Lactofree. It has a turnover of £2.3 billion. As well as being number one in fresh liquid milk, butter, spreads and cream, Arla is the UK’s largest cheese manufacturer. It has also built the world’s largest fresh milk facility located at Aylesbury and has plans for it to be the first zero carbon site of its kind. The UK business has a team of approximately 3,500 colleagues located at its dairies, distribution centres and head office.
Photo caption: Arla dairy farmer George Holmes (left) of Littlewood Farm in Frampton, Dorset with Simon Hoare MP (middle) and Minette Batters (right), deputy president of National Farmers Union.