Arla signs up a further 150 million litres

Arla Foods has secured over 150 million litres of owner milk, in its latest recruitment initiative, just three months after 1,200 British farmers were offered co-ownership of Arla Foods amba.

The volume has been signed up in one month following the decision of Arla’s board of Directors to secure a further 300 million litres of owner milk into its UK milk pool during 2014.

The dairy farmers supplying the volume will become co-owners of Arla Foods amba through Arla Milk Cooperative (AMCo).

Commenting on the success of the recruitment drive, Ash Amirahmadi, Arla’s head of milk and member services, said: "Arla is paying its highest ever milk price in its history. We are winning business and growing so need to increase our milk pool to meet the demands of the business.

"I would urge farmers interested in our cooperative ethos to get in touch quickly.  We have exceeded the mid point and are continuing to sign up more co-owners on a daily basis. 

"We are interested in recruiting farmers who want to own processing assets and take responsibility for the marketing arm of their milk, who see the benefits of being part of a progressive European dairy company with global reach, able to access markets including Africa, China and the Middle East, and who believe in investing in brands to maximise their milk price."

Arla Foods is a global dairy company and co-operative owned by 13,500 dairy farmers circa 2,800 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 sixth 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 processes 3.5 billion litres of milk a year and has a turnover of £2.2 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 4,000 colleagues located at its dairies, distribution centres and head office.