Arla begins UK milk price hike Arla Foods has today stepped up its payments to its UK milk suppliers by 0.5 pence per litre to 25.5 pence per litre. The increase was announced on Wednesday at South West Dairy Show in England, following talks between Arla foods and the board of the Arla Foods Milk Partnership (AFMP). In future, AFMP members supplying retailer Asda will no receive 26.5 pence per litre, while members that supply rival Tesco will continue to receive 27.5 pence per litre until a review in March, the group said. AFMP chairperson Jonathan Ovens said the change represented a "positive" move in a very uncertain marketplace. Venue set for second global dairy meeting Players from throughout the global dairy industry will meet in Athens for the second annual Global Dairy Congress, which kicks off on 11 March. Hosts Zenith International said the theme of future tastes would be the key issue for the three day talks. Sessions at the event will focus on a number of key issues for dairy groups, including sustainability, innovation and the importance of functionality. Speakers will include representatives from India-based Amul, Clover from South Africa, Dairy Crest from UK, with keynote addresses from Kraft, Campina and International Dairy Federation president Jim Begg. Zenith claims that attendees to the congress can expect a complete overview of the trends and developments expected to drive the industry over the coming year. Further Asian speculation for Danone Danone continues to commit itself to the increasingly important Asian dairy markets after reportedly purchasing two manufacturing plants from Beijing-based company Miaoshi Dairy, press reports have said. The Dow Jones Newswire service, sighting Chinese media sources, claimed that a deal for the plants had been concluded in December Danone said it has a policy of not commenting on market speculation.
