Dairy giant Lactalis to cut 450 million litres from milk pool

Based in the northwest of France, Lactalis tried to soften the blow for farmers in its home country by saying that reducing the production of bulk commodities like milk powders will lead to better farm gate prices for milk.

Members of the "Confederation Paysanne" French agricultural union wave flags during a protest action at milk factory of dairy giant Lactalis in Retiers, western France on October 18, 2024. Lactalis, which claims to be the world's leading dairy group, announced on September 25 that it would gradually reduce its volumes collected in France by almost 9%. Picture: Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images

Supplying the world's largest dairy company has turned into a nightmare for hundreds of farmers across Europe.

Lactalis has announced plans to cut the amount of milk it collects annually by 450 million litres, or nearly 9% of its overall volume of 5.1 billion litres in France.