​Have you herd? –Dairy Cows Hit the Capital

Arla takes over the capital to encourage support for the dairy industry this Christmas

• Two thirds(60%) of consumers would pay extra for dairy products if they knew money was going to farmers
• Support for the dairy industry is high but people confess they don’t know the best way to help
• Arla Farmer-Owned Marque ensures consumers know they are supporting the farmer-owned dairy co-operative

London commuters were greeted on Wednesday by a herd of cows and dairy farmers as part of a campaign by Arla Foods to raise awareness of how people can support the industry this Christmas.

Arla Foods UK, the UK’s largest farmer-owned dairy company, is calling on millions of consumers nationwide to support dairy farmers at this key time of year - the run up to Christmas

Londoners were greeted by the unusual sight of a herd of white cows branded with the Arla Farmer-Owned Marque this morning (Wednesday 9^th December). The herd started the day at ‘Cowvent Garden’ then made its way through several udderground stations, across the Abbey Road crossing made famous by Paul Moocartney and the rest of The Beatles and even took a ride on the London Eye.

The cow parade is just one in a series of stunts being undertaken by Arla Foods across the UK to highlight the importance of milk this Christmas and the need for increased support for dairy farmers. The campaign will continue in the lead up to Christmas and will see farmers giving back to the British public, thanking them for the support they’ve already received in a difficult climate.

The ‘White Wednesdays’ campaign draws on research from conducted by YouGov¹ which underlines that the great British public is keen to get behind farmers during this volatile period for milk prices.

The YouGov research also revealed almost two thirds of consumers (60%) say they would pay extra for dairy products and have the money go back to farmers, while seven in ten consumers would prefer to buy their dairy products from a company which is owned by the farmers themselves.

The campaign will also highlight the introduction of the ‘Farmer Owned’ marque on all Arla branded and supermarket own-label dairy products. Arla Foods has introduced the Farmer-Owned Marque on its products to highlight its credentials as the only farmer-owned co-operative that shares profits between all its 12,700 farmers. When consumers purchase any Arla product with the Farmer-Owned Marque displayed they know they are directly supporting the farmers who produced it.

The activity undertaken by the farmers is particularly significant at this time of year as independent research conducted by Arla found that now is the time of year when people buy the most milk and a huge number of festive favourites wouldn’t be possible without the inclusion of milk from dairy farmers.

Milk isn’t the only key ingredient this Christmas with 57% saying they couldn’t face the festivities without a cheeseboard and 54% whose turkeys would be even drier because of no butter. A third revealed that the they view the drop of milk in their morning brew or a delicious dollop of fresh cream on their mince pie as a magical Christmas dairy moment.

Ash Amirahmadi, head of milk and member services at Arla said: “You might not realise but without milk Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas and we think this is the perfect time of year to be highlighting the role the dairy industry plays in our lives and how lost we would be without it.

People are telling us they want to support dairy farmers but they don’t know the best way to do it so we’re making it as easy as possible but putting a clear mark on all of our products. Our farmers are getting out there and on the road to tell as many people as possible about the importance of supporting farmers this Christmas.”

The Arla consumer research also revealed:

• Over half (51%) buy just the right amount of milk for Christmas
• Only 4% confessed to panic buying milk at Christmas
• One Christmas tradition is dying as only 15% of people confessed to leaving a glass of milk for Santa
• 80% of Brits use milk mostly for hot drinks during the Christmas holidays
• A third (32%) use milk for custard, a quarter (26%) in trifles and desserts and 23% use it for the bread sauce on the Christmas Day dinner table
• 16% leave a glass of milk for Santa
• Aside from milk, cheese (82%) is the most popular dairy product bought followed by butter (72%), double cream (53%) and yoghurt (48%)
• Over a quarter (26%) described the post dinner cheeseboard as their most magical Christmas Dairy moment

About the research:

¹Research conducted by YouGov among more than 2,000 consumers

Arla Foods is a global dairy company and co-operative owned by 12,700 dairy farmers circa 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.