An Irish beef processing firm has opened a new biogas facility in the UK.

British dairy co-op Arla and retailer Asda have launched a four-pint bottle in the UK market, with a guarantee that 25p (29c) of every new format bottle sold will go directly back to farmers.

Lidl has latched on to consumer movement against use of genetically modified feedstuffs on dairy farms, by listing GMO-free milk in all its stores across Germany.

The Arla dairy co-op says it wants up to one billion kg/litres of extra milk over the next year from cows getting feed free from genetic modification, and expects to be able to pay an extra 1c per kg of milk produced.

British supermarket Morrisons and German trader Aldi responded yesterday to pressure from financially strapped dairy farmers by raising the price they pay milk suppliers.

Danone, owner of Activia yoghurt and Evian water, will spend about €325m to form a joint venture and invest in China’s biggest dairy producer to expand its brands in the most populous nation.

The poultry industry’s loss is dairy’s gain — with hydrolysed protein derived from milk being substituted for egg albumen.

The possibility of a merger between a southern Irish co-op and First Milk in the UK has been raised by Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers chairman David Cotton.

European dairy firm Arla Foods Amba has tied up with China’s baby food maker Biostime International to invest in adding production capacity for infant formula products, its second venture in China this month.

Global food and dairy companies are making another round of big bets on China’s fast growing dairy sector, seeking to position themselves as safe alternatives after a lethal baby formula scandal burned the industry four years ago.

MORE than 180 anti-trust cases, 1,300 merger decisions, and 100 monitoring actions have been investigated by competition authorities in the EU food industry in seven years.

Scandinavian dairy group Arla Foods says it plans to merge with milk co-operatives in Germany and Britain.

PARTNERSHIPS with giant overseas co-ops and the sale of under-performing subsidiaries are likely to figure in a new five-year strategy document which the Irish Dairy Board (IDB) is expected to publish in March.

THE Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association has expressed renewed optimism on milk price prospects for the back end of this year.

A PRICE collapse of almost 50% in an 18-month period is a traumatic occurrence by any standards. In round figures, this is what has happened to Irish dairy farmers since the autumn of 2007.

A CELEBRATION in Mallow to mark the foundation of the Ballyclough Co-op 100 years ago heard that “lessons could be learned” from the society’s proud history.

Demand for rented accommodation in the UK is at its highest level for five years, leading to a shortage of available properties, a trade body said today.

THE French consumer affairs minister, Luc Chatel, has questioned why food prices always go up and never come down. He said he’s seen milk prices fall 25% in the past, but has never seen the price of yoghurt fall 25%.

The creation of a £1bn (€1.4bn) dairy giant was in the pipeline today after two farming co-operatives announced plans to join forces.

Leading UK supermarkets and dairy processors were today accused of fixing the prices of milk, butter and cheese.

DAIRY farmers are looking across borders as they bid to exert maximum bargaining power in overheated milk markets.

Scandinavian dairy group Arla Foods today said the boycott of its products in the Middle East sparked by the Prophet Mohammed cartoons had cost the company about €53.6m in 2006.

Dairy Crest today reported a decline in pre-tax profits after rising energy costs and the loss of a contract to supply milk to Tesco outweighed strong sales of its branded cheeses and spreads.

The cheeses and butters of the Danish company Arla are back on the shelves of Saudi supermarkets after an Islamic group called for an end to the boycott of the dairy producer, sparked by Denmark’s publication of drawings of the Prophet Mohammed.

Dairy Crest hailed the popularity of Cathedral City today after reporting another strong performance from the key brand in its cheese portfolio.

The company hurt worst by the boycott in many Muslim countries of Danish products by consumers angered over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed today said it hoped to confront the issue at a trade fair in Dubai.

Consumer boycotts of Danish goods in Muslim countries in protest of the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed are costing Denmark’s companies millions, and have raised fears of irreparable damage to trade ties.

THE boycott of Danish goods to protest against the publication of Prophet Mohammed caricatures is costing Danish businesses around €1.5m a day.