Q. Is Europe a focus for Bradbury’s in the export market?

Chris Chisnall: We’ve supplied the odd customer over the last few years, but it’s never been our focus as an export stream. It’s been the rest of the world, and because there’s been Brexit, obviously. However, Covid also was responsible for shrinkage, as the airline business dropped because there was no travel worldwide. The pubs and restaurants were closed – we lost 25 per cent of our business overnight. That was an interesting period.

Now, we have a multi-functional business, supplying everyone from Tesco, Waitrose and Emirates Airlines to cheese boxes sold online directly to consumers. We export to Canada, Australia and do business with Gusto and Fresh Direct online food services.

We’re doing container loads with those export customers, once or twice a month. We do a consolidated range of British cheeses and British cheese is actually very in vogue around the world. People like British products and see them as good quality, food safe and traceable.

Our top three markets are Canada, Australia and the US. We’re looking at Japan and China and have ambitions to move into those areas.

We’ve also got Europe, which we have been dealing through discount contacts at Aldi and Lidl. That’s taken a bit of a backseat, but it’s back on the agenda this year.

Q. How has Brexit affected the export market?

Chris: I think Brexit has just made it harder to export products. You have to get the veterinary certificates and get the product across the water. It has to be signed off on everything you’re getting through customs.

Has it made it impossible? No. Has it made it harder? Yes. I think the problem is when it goes wrong. And that’s the biggest thing. If you have products over in Europe and it gets rejected for whatever reason, you can’t get it back. You basically might as well throw product in the bins, rather than get that product returned. To get it back, the recipients have to get their veterinarian to sign off on the load back to the UK, and the vets usually won’t sign off because it’s a British product and it wasn’t made in that country.

We are bringing probably six or seven loads a week depending on the time of year. We have hubs in different countries – one in Holland, in France, and one in Italy, so we’re bringing in whole lorry loads to sell in the UK.

Ian: There are a lot fewer restrictions for products coming into the UK. I think it has been done deliberately, and that’s because the British government has said, yes, come on in. Let’s face it, we’re not going to put massive restrictions on imports, because otherwise we’d have a serious problem with fruit in particular and, and other products being imported in. So, it is about getting it out of the country to the EU. We have the challenge on some of the products coming in.

Q. What types of products do you make and for whom?

Chris: There is a business class tray that we do for Emirates here. It’s four cheeses, in a rip and flip tray. Emirates onboards the crew, and then they can just rip the product open, flip it onto a slate and then serve it to the passengers on board. We also do the mini 20 gram portions for the economy section. As for processing, we do waxing, hearts and blocks and all sorts there. Then we do some hand wrapping for artisanals. We also innovate with cheese balls and blending.

Something that we did during Covid was to launch a direct to consumer range. Our cheese box club does about 20 to 30 boxes a week. We also launched a subscription model, which has been really successful. We send about 200 subscriptions a month out. They sign up to it and then they get a box of cheese coming every month with a gift. We do exclusive emails with details, recipes, pairings and things like that. In the latest one, we included a mango curd that went out with a goat cheese as a pairing. We’ve done matured Dutch Gouda with dark chocolate as well, which is a fantastic one. Subscription about £22 per month and people don’t get the same box every month. We’re in it for the long haul. It’s something that we’re pushing from the consumer side.

We also own a couple of cheese sites as well. Shadwell makes a white Stilton for us. It’s the only exclusively white Stilton making site in the UK. Other people make make white Stilton, but also have blue Stilton on their site, which means that their product isn’t as clean and fresh as ours. We own Northumberland Cheese company, which is based up north of Newcastle. They’ve got a cafe and a cheese making area and they’re making cow, sheep and goat artisanal cheeses. We also have a holding in a goat cheese maker down in Norfolk, which makes soft and hard goat cheeses.

It’s very much about selling the cheeses, and putting them forward for award contention. We always shout about the awards. We have 200 suppliers making 400 cheeses, and it amounts to 1,400 SKUs.

Q. What about your meetings with the DIT?

We work very closely with the Department for International Trade (DIT). We attended a DIT event with the Mexican trade ambassador and it was very much about getting introductions into the country. We haven’t seen any business arrive from that as of yet, but a lot of these deals and negotiations take a lot of time. I think we were talking to the US for probably three years before we started trading with a distributor.

Mexico is a huge country, so you need to find the right distributor in order to start trading. It’s a slow build with a lot of the export that we do. It takes time to find that right partner and be able to open up, but you are also working on it for a while.

When you look at the areas we are operating in, we continue to grow our export business. The Far East is a key growth area for us. We’re in Singapore, so we’ve got a foothold there. There’s active discussion in Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia as well. Japan is also on the radar. Then we look the other way towards Mexico, and we’ve had some inquiries from South America, including Argentina and Brazil.

Ian: I think there’s also an initiative set up with a task force with Dairy UK, AHDB, NFU and the DIT. The objective is to try and work out how the industry could be supported to export more. What do we need to do as a country to set up a simplified system? One of the biggest issues is the vet stamps and certificates. Every time you send a vehicle out, you’ve got to get a local vet to stamp a piece of paper. There must be a better way, and a more effective way. How can we, as an industry, reduce our costs to make us competitive and, and who’s demanding that then?

If we look at Europe as an example, we didn’t have to have any of these systems until we extracted ourselves from Europe. Now we’re seen as a third country. There’s a requirement now. It’s driving complexity and costs.

The hope is that, with the task force being set up, we’ll review some of these requirements, and there might be an impetus to actually make improvements to help business to export. It might also affect government and agricultural policies as well.

There is also a possibility that they could do it electronically. That’d be ideal. Now there’s a taskforce set up, so they’ll look at that and many other things. Hopefully we’ll start to see a little bit of simplicity coming through the system.

Chris: The challenge of getting the vets onto a site to stamp the documentation is a challenge in itself. Especially if you’re in a regional area and the vets do not want to travel. There’s quite a hefty cost to eat.

That being said, there are government bodies who are helping out. For example, the DIT and the AHDB. They have people in different countries who can link you in. They can put you in touch with people, and they’re also on the ground as well in the UK to help you if you are starting out.

Our chairman, George Paul is actually an export champion for the DIT. He works with smaller businesses that want to export to say, look, this is what you need to do, guys. He also does conferences and speaking, and is very proactive. At Bradbury’s, we’ve honed our skills over eight years and it’s still a growing part of our business.

Q. What about Singleton’s?

Chris: It’s always sad to see a cheese maker with a lot of long history in the industry go. I think it’s a lesson to us all in the fragility of businesses in this day and age. Nobody’s immune to that. We have had some inquiries from an export perspective, because obviously Singleton’s did a bit of export.

We’re quite close-knit industry really. Everybody sees each other at the ICDA annually and other various events. It is difficult to see people go when there’s businesses that have been around for about 80 years, but it demonstrates the importance of investment, innovation and modernisation.

Q. What do you consider your biggest challenge?

Chris: Ooh. I would suggest that one of the biggest challenges at the moment is the cost of living crisis. We mainly sell in the middle to upper premium ranges within retailers and

customers. We are not in that commoditised area. We’re not doing big blocks of mild cheddar or red Leicester into Aldi and Lidl, we are mainly dealing with those premium cheeses.

At the moment we’ve not seen a lot of change. That’s mainly because we’re in the sort of quieter quarter of the year. We are quite lucky because we don’t manufacture cheese. We haven’t got 30 tons, 300 tons or 3,000 tons of cheese sitting behind us. We have to be fleet of foot to be able to move suddenly, and adapt, which is something we’ve had to do during covid and the cost of living crisis.

The last four or five years we’ve been focused on managing costs and staying profitable. Another challenge coming up is that the minimum wage goes again this year. That puts another strain on the finances. You’ve got to find that on top of the utility costs. We’re adaptable and our strategy allows us to cover a number of streams. If the airline business isn’t doing as well, then we’ve got three other streams that we can sort of push along.

From the operational point of view, it’s about getting the right skill sets on board and retaining them, but also identifying and attracting them into the business. There’s a lot of investment going into training here.

For example, we’ve recruited a new supply chain manager this week and a new quality assurance manager joins us in three weeks’ time. The sales team’s been bolstered, so we’re all about growth, even though we know we have these challenges of managing cost.

Ian: It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the year pans out. If you remember the 2008 financial first financial crash, what consumers did was trade down, but also trade up. Everything was lost in the middle. It feels as though that’s sort of happening again.

People are indulging at home, but they’re buying cheaper products. On top of that, now we’ve got the high utility prices, which are now declining. That being said, people might find a little bit more disposable income as the year goes on.

Chris: We’re also starting to see a bit of deflation in the market for milk prices as well. It’s not going to go back down to where it was.

Ian: It’s certainly been an interesting 12 months, but hopefully going into next year, interest rates will start coming down again and inflation might be a bit more manageable. It may mean that, we get to back to some form of normality. Depends on where Ukraine is, I suppose. It’s also about the effect on brands and the added value, as hopefully people indulge more at home rather than go out. We are just trying to control our costs and find innovative ways to produce some cheese.

We are in a very healthy milk field and great relationships with the producers. We’re in a very strong place in terms of supply, but we just need to make sure that we’re producing cheese efficiently so that we can compete.

Q What new products are in the pipeline?

Ian: We’re always doing trials like every other cheese maker. Our last one was smoked Red Fox on the back of Belton Red Fox, which is a modern British cheese. Although it’s based on a Red Leicester recipe, it’s nothing like a Red Leicester really. We make White Fox as well, which looks like a cheddar but with a unique flavour profile. Red Fox reinvigorated the territorials segment in the UK.

Chris: People are also trying to determine what Continental cheese that’s going to be big in the UK. Everyone’s looking for what’s the next Comté or halloumi. It’s all about a unique flavour or texture.

It’s interesting times. I think the next 12 months is going to be challenging, before it starts to improve.

The post Back to business with cheese appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

At last count, there were 11 people thinking they could have a slot at Number 10. This new person hopefully will be ready for the new Parliament in the autumn, and Johnson can go retire to his rounds of lectures and whatever else he might get up to. I wish obscurity on him because it is his greatest fear. He goes down in the history books already, as the PM with the greatest number of ministers resigning before he decided to leave, as well as one of the most ungracious leaving speeches ever presented here in the UK. 

Meanwhile, Labour and the Liberal Democrats demand a general election, which would probably be the most sensible thing. Of course, the Conservatives don’t want any part of that, as it would mean they would probably lose a lot of seats in Parliament and no doubt the ability for any of them to be Prime Minister for years. They want to cling onto their hold until the next general election is required (2024 or 2025, I think).  

However, it hopefully does mean that there will be a less disorganised, scandal-ridden government in the near future, and someone who leaders of the world can have a sensible conversation with. Pick a good one, Conservative Party.   

I would say it’s past the time, as while the Conservatives are doing their usual backstabbing and internal politics, the UK is having crises on many fronts. Brexit has caused many issues with trade, paperwork and the EU (and not one of the candidates mentions it, mainly because it is such a mess), we have global warming (where I think Johnson was busy throwing out any commitments he had to carbon neutrality recently), and farmers here are dealing with the disappearance of CAP subsidies and trying to fathom whether the government will replace those funds. The people who provide us with food are going to the wall, and that’s not where you want them. Again, a Brexit issue that nobody wants to talk about. I won’t even mention the Horizon and science problem. 

It is a mess, but sometimes you have to have a mess before you can clear it up. The next PM should bring a mop and a bucket. We still have a functioning economy for now and the removal of Johnson will be like the removal of Trump in the US – a relief.  

So, reasons to be cheerful – every day we see Johnson at Number 10 is now a day closer to his departure. And my local café has invested in a set of new stencils for its cappuccinos. See the photo.  

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

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France is heading up the EU Presidency for the next six months while holding national elections, so events across the Channel no doubt will have an impact on our borders again. I have to say, it often feels like the British borders are less controlled by the national government now, than when we were still in the EU.

Not to mention another coronavirus variant, Omicron. Some national borders have closed again (France to anyone who is not a citizen) and well, it feels like the sequel to last year’s pandemic opening. I’m only hoping it winds up to be Paddington 2 or The Empire Strikes Back, rather than one of the Batman sequels. A good sequel versus a poor one.

On the upside, we are all vaccinated and boostered here. Here in London, our friends have still been hit by Covid, but the results have been a few grumpy days indoors and not interacting with others (my one friend enjoyed binging on box sets, free from having to cater to her children’s demands all day), due to the vaccination programme.

I would also mention access to free rapid testing, which has been another feature here in the UK. I was wandering around visiting pharmacies the other day to secure more tests so that we could take them to go visit our relatives. I know not everyone gets this for free and again, thanks to the national health service (NHS) and its supporting agencies for this.

So, while we’re not out of the woods yet with this particular global pandemic, it’s here for 2022. Whatever you may get up to this year, I wish you all the best and hope to see you in person and online.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post What’s new for 2022 appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

In the latter, Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of European food producers and co-operatives association Copa-Cogeca, said the stakes were high but, “We do not believe that this political situation will develop to a full-scale trade dispute. In dairy, both parties have too much to lose and therefore, we remain optimistic.” I hope he is right. It seems to be lately that both European Union and country negotiators will cut their noses off to spite their faces.

It does seem the UK is seeing some sense, but this is probably just due to be in a hard place. It has delaying introducing post-Brexit checks on food and farming imports to England, Scotland and Wales again. The government is blaming Covid disruption and pressure on global supply chains, but the lack of lorry drivers domestically no doubt also has a bearing.

One could look at this original idea, to go through with Brexit during a pandemic no matter what, as perhaps not the most sensible thing to do, but there you have it. The EU border controls have also been a bit… petty, I think. Again, short-term thinking is leveraged against long-term partnerships. In the meantime, consumers on both sides suffer.

Back here in the UK, we have a more pressing problem. At my local German-owned discount supermarket, the ice cream section is looking rather bare. Truthfully, we have a serious Gelatelli mint with crunchy chocolate coating lolly addiction in the house and there have been no boxes for the past week or two. Perhaps there can be an airlift if the frozen treats are supplied from the Continent?

I take comfort in the fact that Müller yogurts are made domestically, but again, the drivers. An ongoing pandemic without treats (I have my Wookey Hole truckle, thankfully) is not anything to be endured.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post Supply chain issues appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Completed ahead of Brexit, the global perishable cargo specialist partnered with transport and logistics company FreshLinc to run the operation at Fresh Linc’s Spalding HQ, to enable a speedier movement of product from the ports and therefore delivering an extending shelf life of up to 48 hours.

The BCP, which sits on a 70,000 sq. ft site, should have been effective from 1 January 2021 and represents a £400,000 investment. The facility includes a purpose-built 10,000 sq. ft warehouse with the capacity to store 330 pallets and dedicated inspection areas for customs and DEFRA. Since this is a 24-hour operation, four new staff have been trained to ensure a seamless round-the-clock service.

The Spalding location is ideally placed for freight traffic coming out of Dover and Southampton docks and the move to set up a BCP away from the ports represents a solution to the delays and excessive queues which impede the onward movement of freight. For a company that stakes its reputation on the time efficient transfer of perishable cargo, PML was unwilling to risk the further disruptions anticipated post Brexit and therefore joined forces with Fresh Linc – with whom it shares a long-standing and trusted working relationship – to provide a viable alternative.

PML sales director, Nick Finbow, says, “It is unfortunate that the official opening of the facility at Spalding was delayed but of course, we are accepting that we are all working under exceptional circumstances. We are delighted that we can now offer our customers the benefit of a safe and speedy transfer out of the ports which should ultimately deliver a minimum of 24-48 hours additional shelf life on perishable goods with no break in the cold chain. As a business PML has always demonstrated forward thinking and is proactive in identifying innovative solutions to any challenge which threatens to impede its ability to deliver the effective, seamless service for which it is renowned.”

The post PML’s solution to border control delays now operational appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

As we had mentioned in the April 2021 edition of Dairy Industries International magazine, cheese makers were worried about the impact of Brexit on exports to the EU, and it turns out they were right to be concerned. The UK’s Food and Drink Federation posted a trade snapshot for February 2021, and it makes for grim reading for the cheese makers, as well as the exporters of cream and milk to the Continent. Cheese exports fell by 64.6 per cent to £14.5 million, while the milk and cream exports just dropped to mostly nothing – a 96.4 per cent fall to £0.9 million in February 2021, versus the same month the year before.

Small businesses such as artisan cheese makers have been the hardest hit, due to European zeal in enforcing the borders with vet controls, as well as the collapse of groupage distribution to the EU.

Seems nobody is interested in doing the paperwork that has multiplied overnight, or finding a veterinarian to approve the cheese that several months ago, went through to Europe without fuss. It is, as one cheese maker said, still the same cheese, but not to border controls. Plus, paperwork.

I am not sure what will occur in the future. I would hope that perhaps the UK’s government would revisit some of the details of the agreement, but as we’ve seen, this current government deals in swings and roundabouts, and what is true today, probably will not be true tomorrow. Northern Ireland is now in a state of flux and I am wondering what this was all for.

That all being said, British cheese makers are a resilient and resourceful bunch. They have to be, now that it’s a requirement of the job.

In other news, we have our Supplier Profile issue coming up again this year, in August. It is our issue filled with all manner of equipment and supplies for your business and a once-yearly opportunity for companies to get their messages out to the people that buy their products. Please contact Samantha Bull for more details, samantha@bellpublishing.com.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post Unintended consequences strike again appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

I suspect the current British government is aiming for a version of events where eventually people stop complaining about all the extra paperwork we all have to do to ship anything to Europe or vice versa. This will be instead of doing anything about this pile of additional legislation they’ve lumbered us with. Somehow, the idea of taking back sovreignity is supposed to outweigh all the extra costs and damages incurred with this Conservative myth.

Meanwhile, Scotland plans for another referendum to exit the UK, and Northern Irish producers like Cole can’t buy seeds from the mainland UK because of Brexit. This place is starting to feel like a not very united kingdom to me.

Back to Farming Today. Smith also hosted a debate between the chief sustainability officer for Oatly drinks Ashley Allen and the NFU’s deputy president, Stuart Roberts, on the subject of the recent British ad campaign from the Swedish oatmilk firm, which has prompted more than 100 complaints to the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The campaign, which is aimed at teenagers encourages them to ‘talk to dad’ about the reasons why they should stop drinking dairy milk. The ASA says complaints cover a range of issues including concerns about sexism, ageism, causing fear and being offensive to dairy farmers.

What really seems to have annoyed the farming community is Oatly’s use of this statistic, Smith noted: “The dairy and meat industries emit more carbon emission than all the world’s planes, trains, cars, boats etc combined.”

Allen claimed that the ones used were part of many datapoints used in producing the advertising. Roberts pointed out there were more up to date global figures than the ones Oatley had used in the ads, and methane had a much shorter half life than fossil fuel emissions used in transport. “Dairy performs very well on protein per kilogram of carbon emissions,” he stated. He also said in the UK, the figures cited were not the most relevant ones, with livestock only producing 10% of greenhouse gases, and 3.7% of that number being the meat and dairy industries.

Smith encouraged them to try and convince, as per the advertisement, how a teenager would try and change their parents’ minds about the oat drink versus dairy. Allen asked Roberts to try new and trendy things, but he replied that while he was open to dialogue and discussions, he felt it important to use the right statistics in the right markets.

Expensive trends (£1.50-1.70 per litre) versus a 6,000 year old nutritious industry (£0.89-£1.15 per litre, the latter price for organic). Hmm. I am all for oats, being a very large porridge consumer (see photo), but I think I’ll stick with dairy milk for my morning coffees and yogurts. I tend towards the long trend, rather than the short ones, myself.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post What’s in your coffee? appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Happy New Year to everyone. If you’ve been not working this season, I hope it was relaxing and you enjoyed the long walks. If you have been working, thank you for your efforts in keeping the food supply chain going, while I sit here and sip my coffee with delivered milk and enjoy my morning yogurt.

As we all know, a deal has been done and we are living in the post-Brexit life here in the UK. Unsurprisingly, there’s more paperwork , but I for one am feeling a bit optimistic about the upcoming year overall, despite the current British government’s back and forthing. In a way, it’s now a regular feature and no longer upsets me. If they had a plan and stuck to it, I’d find that alarming at this point. When they moved the secondary school openings back by two weeks, I shrugged my shoulders and told my offspring to get his physics homework done.

Even this year’s colour of the year is “rising orange,” I am told, which is “optimistically bright for restoration in the new year,” the ingredients supplier Sensient explains. So perhaps that is it.

I was also encouraged by the queues here for people to get their vaccinations, which hopefully will put a lid on this outbreak. We can go back to waiting in airports and train stations again among other people, and complaining about how packed the tube is (or maybe not). The speed and skill with which the global scientific community has put this together makes me think we’re not so bad as a species after all.

But I still might get my wheel and bury it in the garden, just in case. While I await my turn for the vaccine. Light is there, but we’re still in the tunnel.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post Samuel Pepys on plague appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Every time I see the television advertisement saying that business has to prepare, I cringe. Businesses have been trying to prepare. I am not quite sure what the British government has been doing, except infighting and dealing with a global pandemic in a similarly haphazard way. We have had three prime ministers since Brexit was voted in, by a slim margin, in 2016.

It goes to show that even among the Brexiteers, the policy of leaving the EU is not a universally agreed one. However, as I write this talks are still ongoing. I would like to be optimistic on this, but again, lorries are piling up at ports here and the M20 looks like a lorry park (it’s a major motorway).

Then again, as one cheese maker put it, maybe this will be good for our domestic market. It may well be, as dairy tends to collect its milk in the same country and process it internally into cheese and other products. Where it starts bumping into things is if you need a part that’s been supplied by the EU previously, or you like to buy Italian rennet or something. I hear Filippo Berio, the olive oil supplier, has a stockpile in the UK of its products to ensure supply is not constricted. So, people have been making plans despite the government.

As Andrew Marr, a British television newsman put it back when the vote was counted, Brexit will neither be as good as you hope for, nor as bad as you fear. Meanwhile, I will eat my mince pies and try to avoid the news over the holiday season. Wake me up when it’s over.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post The impending arrival of Brexit appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

The BCP which has been in development for the last four months, will be effective from 1 January 2021 and represents a £400,000 investment. This includes the creation of a purpose-built 10,000 sq ft warehouse with the ability to store 330 pallets; dedicated inspection areas for customs and Defra and the training of four new dedicated staff to run the 24-hour operation.

The decision to set up a BCP away from the ports – Spalding is within easy reach of both Dover and Southampton docks – is in direct response to the ongoing delays and excessive queues which currently impede the onward movement of freight. The imperative to take action is amplified given the specialist and sensitive nature of PML’s cargo – the majority of consignments require temperature-controlled conditions – and the anticipated further disruptions likely to be caused post Brexit.

The long-standing and trusted working relationship between the two companies has enabled a seamless journey from the inception of the idea to create a dedicated BCP at FreshLinc’s 70,000 sq ft site, to completion of all the works required to meet the demanding criteria as defined by HMRC and DEFRA.

PML sales director, Nick Finbow says: “This venture will enable us to move product much faster from the ports, cut down on wasted journeys and should ultimately deliver a minimum of 24-48 hours additional shelf life on all our customers’ products. Our priority is to guarantee the safe and timely transfer of goods, ensuring that there are no breaks in the cold chain. By creating a remote BCP, we are no longer constrained by the issues at the ports and PML is able to operate and manage its own facility.”

Lee Juniper, operations director at FreshLinc comments: “This is a great opportunity for us to work with PML to maintain the continuation of the food supply chain especially against the backdrop of the uncertain times we are now facing as a result of the challenges posed by Brexit and the coronavirus. The BCP is a perfect example of two like-minded businesses coming together to provide an innovative solution to an industry problem.”

The post PML announces solution to border control delays appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

As Adrian O’Neill, the Irish Ambassador to Great Britain and Northern Ireland (pictured) says, “There is the commitment of the Irish government to enhance our relationship across the sea, and to sustain warm and friendly relations with our neighbours. We have shared history, shared cultures and proximate geography.” Ireland is both a top exporter of agricultural products to the UK and a top importer of British products, and as such has spent the last few years planning for Brexit.

Which is good, because sometimes I don’t think the UK has been as proactive as Ireland’s government and companies on this matter. Kind of like making a cake and leaving the kitchen in a right state for someone else to clear up.

That being said, the rest of the world can’t sit there and wait. Ireland’s agri-business has been prepping for every eventuality since 2016. An estimated €1 billion of its dairy exports to the UK are at stake, as part of the total exports of €4.4 billion. The good news for Ireland is most British consumers see Irish food as the most trusted in origin outside of the UK, according to Bord Bia (the Irish food and drink agency).

Bord Bia has run readiness radars, collecting data from British companies and has found their top concerns are: UK economic performance, living with Covid-19 and Brexit. They have also been getting their domestic companies ready for the changes in regulations.

Further, US President-elect Joe Biden, whose Secret Service codename is Celtic, is moving into the White House in January. He has already been put on record as saying the Good Friday deal must stand and that hard borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic are not an option.

I think the brash politics of the last few years will give way to more sensible options, both inside and outside the UK. The calm voices that we are now hearing are acting like a balm on many people’s psyches, including mine. While the future remains unsettled, we will need them to get us through the next few months and years, and across the border from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

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Due to the temporary discontinuation of deliveries to hotels, restaurants and communal catering, the demand from the German households increased significantly. Specialised delivery dairies for the bulk consumer sector suffered in particular. In contrast, demand in German and European retail rose to a record level.

The weaker market situation in the first half of 2020 led, with a time lag, to slightly lower payments made by German dairies to their milk producers. However, there is a strong regional variation. The average milk price in 2020 will be around €0.325 cents net per kilogram of raw milk nationwide. Due to the weather, milk deliveries in Germany in autumn 2020 have been slightly higher than the same period in the previous year, which was already a very dry year. In contrast to 2019, individual regions within Germany have been much more severely affected by the drought in 2020, why there will be regional feed shortages or low feed reserves for the winter months. The production capacities for cheese in Germany were increased slightly in 2020. But no further large-scale cheese projects are currently being planned.

The German dairy industry association is concerned about the possible “hard Brexit”. The negotiations are being conducted intensively and an agreement with the UK is sought, as the UK is a large net importer of dairy products. An example: the UK imports more cheese than it produces itself. Germany would also be affected by the hard Brexit and MIV notes that the Republic of Ireland would particularly suffer from the measures.

The MIV is expecting the discussions in Brussels on the free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand with tension and (a certain) skepticism. The MIV advises that the EU Commission should not submit offers, which are too large, since on the other hand the sales volume for European goods will hardly increase. This is especially true for the New Zealand market.

Germany is currently implementing the directive against unfair competition (UTP directive) from Brussels. This takes place in the form of an amendment to the Agricultural Market Structure Act. The federal government is pursuing an ambitious approach, but it still needs some time for the deliberations. The dairy association is not entirely satisfied with the guideline. The fact that the regulations should no longer apply to a turnover of more than €350 million per year, is unworldly in the eyes of the MIV.

The dairy association is also awaiting the deliberations of the new EU Commission on genetic engineering labeling law with interest. According to the judgment of the ECJ, there is an increasing number of voices, especially from the scientific spectrum, who call for an intensive discussion and reassessment of the topic.

The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy 2020 is currently being negotiated under the German presidency. Conclusions can be expected soon, so the set of rules can be applied from 2023. The MIV is hoping that Brussels will provide relevant and affordable solutions without increased bureaucracy for the dairies.

The post MIV reports on German dairy and Brexit appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

The UK is the single largest trading partner of the EU with a total value of food and drink trade of €47.5 billion in 2018. EFFAT- IUF Europe, together with its UK and Irish affiliates, SIPTU, Unite, USDAW, BFAWU and GMB, have called on the UK conservative government in Westminster and the EU to do whatever it takes to reach a trade deal that save jobs and delivers for working people across the countries.

“Nowhere is this clearer than in Ireland where the food drink agricultural sector is the most reliant part of the island’s economy on cross border activity. The current arrangement between the North/UK and the Republic sees an estimated 360,000 people commute and millions of goods and supply chain consignments cross each year,” according to the unions. “A hard border, that will undoubtedly disrupt and severely delay all trade and movement of people, will cause heavy lasting damage across all sectors of the economy.

“This sector is inextricably interconnected between the UK and Ireland and its future prosperity depends on not having borders, tariffs or controls between the two countries.”

Worries about Brexit and the changes it will impose are rife, and the unions worry that it may lead to: the imposition of a hard border and a dramatic increase in community tensions as a result; complete disruption of Irish/UK cross-border trade that will massively impact the well-being of the sector and the workers in it; endangering the high food hygiene and health and safety standards established over decades by the European Union’s regulatory system; and employers and governments pitting worker against worker in a race to the bottom on living standards and rights. Furthermore, all the signatory unions strongly oppose the UK conservative government’s internal market bill. Not only does the bill break international law and is tantamount to ripping up the agreed withdrawal agreement, it also puts in jeopardy the painstakingly negotiated Good Friday/Belfast peace agreement (1998).

Unite national officer for the food sector Joe Clarke says: “Although everybody within the food and drink sector has been working flat out in relation to Covid-19, we cannot lose sight of the importance of the Brexit negotiations and the need to deliver for working people – with the avoidance of tariffs via a good trade deal for all parties. The food sector between the UK and Ireland is inextricably linked.

“We must honour and adhere to the Good Friday agreement for all of our members and their families each side of the border. “We call upon the respective governments of the UK and the EU to apply common sense and work tirelessly to ensure a deal for our members from a UK perspective, from an Irish perspective and from the perspective of European workers.”

EFFAT-IUF Europe consistently highlighted the dangers that Brexit poses to the food and agricultural sectors and the welfare and wellbeing of the workers employed within it. In a no-deal or bad deal scenario the food and beverage sector will be disproportionally affected. Highly integrated supply chains will be disrupted both in the UK and the EU. Businesses will be hit by customs and excise duties when importing or exporting, SMEs will be hit with delays to VAT repayments, and there is a vast potential for increased costs and delays.

Without a rapid change of course the current situation will lead to major disruptions and job losses in the UK as well as in a number of member states, from the Spanish fruit and vegetable sector, to the Danish dairy and meat industry. Given its broad socio-economic importance both for the EU and the UK as well as and the number of jobs involved (400,000 only in the UK and 4.7 million in the EU), the food and drink sector should be a high priority area in the future relationship. The food, drink and agricultural unions of UK and Ireland and the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) therefore demand of the UK and EU negotiators to:

• Oppose any finalisation of the Brexit process that will leave in its wake any physical infrastructure between the Republic of Ireland and the UK;
• Agree on a tariff and quota free trade agreement as frictionless as possible
• Ensure a level playing field provisions notably on workers’ rights, that should not be limited to the free movement of workers but must cover the respect into law and practice of the whole EU social acquis and pertinent ILO standards;
• Protect the status quo and the full harmonisation in relation to technical barriers to trade including the use of fertilisers and pesticides and food labelling regulations;
• The UK to maintain the current protection of GIs (geographical indications) to protect jobs in rural areas and specific subsectors;
• Mobilise and protect the Good Friday/Belfast peace agreement;
• The Conservative government to urgently review its position and not proceed with the Internal Market Bill;
• Ensure the involvement of trade unions in the preparation, the monitoring and implementation of the trade agreement;
• Oppose any erosion of regulations and any attempt by the Conservative government to sell off regulations as a bargaining chip in any deal with the EU or future trade deals outside the EU.

The post Unions urge free trade agreement between EU and UK appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

This time, France and other fishing countries face large cuts to their fishing quotas once the Brexit transition period ends. Basically, the UK gains control over its coastal waters and fisheries, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The French are obviously not happy about this and are calling it a red line where France will take a no-deal rather than one where they are denied access to fishing grounds. It is quite a pickle, really.

Ash Amirahmadi, the managing director of Arla Foods’ UK operations, warns that in the UK, “Around 40 per cent of what we consume in this country is exported from EU, so any situation which involves tariffs will have a significant impact.”

An inevitable consequence of leaving without a deal will higher costs, with grocery segment leaders saying their costs would increase by £3.1 billion with tariffs. That has to go to the consumer, in the end. An EU summit is scheduled for this Thursday, so we will see how well it ends. I am not confident in this government’s ability to negotiate properly with our largest trading partner, myself.

Hopefully there will be a compromise that doesn’t shoot dairy in the foot while preserving the British food industry and its suppliers. The EU takes a fair bit of our fishing supply, as we’ve all discovered in lockdown over the past several months.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post Remember Brexit? appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Commenting on the launch of the consultation, Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK said: “We’ve been expecting the launch of this consultation for some time now, and so today’s [24 June] announcement did not come as a surprise. We are in a good position to begin inputting to and collaboratively engaging with these policy proposals.

“Ultimately the best outcome for both processors and farmers will be a decision based on the totality of the evidence provided, and not one based only on emotion.

“Whilst ready to and keen to respond, we’re still mindful that the sector is still working its way through the ongoing the Covid-19 pandemic; that as a nation we continue to move quickly towards the end of the Brexit transition period; and we will see a step change in agricultural and environmental policies not seen for generations. There is already a lot on the plates of food businesses, to which regulation of contracts could significantly add to, if introduced.

“Nonetheless, we are looking forward to having constructive and evidence-based discussions with our members, our colleagues within farming representative organisations and government as we respond to this consultation.”

The post Dairy UK responds to regulation of contracts consultation launch appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

In today’s economic crisis context, the reboot of the European economy will underline that milk and dairy is essential as the economic backbone, especially of rural Europe. The 12,000 processing sites across the Union assure 300,000 jobs in Europe – essential for society.

The European Green Deal and the digital sustainable transformation are two other important and central issues on the agenda of the German presidency. The negotiations on the 2021-2027 financial framework, and the EU‘s trade policy (eg. finalisation of the Brexit negotiations) are also important items.

It will be of crucial importance that any EU policy is always conducted under the premise of the EU single market. This great achievement of the EU must be born in mind by EU policy makers in all areas, but also be reflected in domestic policies. As a big exporting country, Germany is dependent on a functioning single market, where there is no place for protectionist tendencies and gastro-nationalism. This is especially relevant when it comes to initiatives on mandatory origin labelling, which lead to a renationalisation of raw material flows and segregated markets and products. To address potential consumer interests, a voluntary and EU- harmonised approach is the right direction. The same goes for any mandatory front-of-pack simplified nutrition label. It is important that such claims are harmonised at EU level, but their application should always remain voluntary. This should be kept in mind in the framework of the upcoming discussions on the Farm -to-Fork Strategy on a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system.

A successful free trade agreement between the EU and the UK is another important aspect for Germany’s dairy association, MIV. A hard Brexit on 1 January 2021 must be avoided by all means. Zero duty-zero quota approach must be ensured to allow for the continuation of frictionless trade between the two trading blocks. Common standards and a level playing field are key to ensure fair competitive conditions for both sides. Border checks should be reduced to an absolute minimum to allow trade to continue smoothly.

The post Cap funding and UK-EU link key for German EU presidency appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Meanwhile, the current government has voted against banning the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef, and the UK only produces around 60% of the food it needs. Now, I come from the land of the chlorinated chickens, and if you want to spend your time in a supermarket, desperately looking for an animal that tastes of anything and hasn’t had a miserable life, I am sure immigration to the US will open up again eventually.

I for one left that a long time ago and I’m happier here. My next big meat order is with the local farm, and there’s something nice about having properly cut meat from the local butcher businessman. My eating habits have improved immensely over the last two decades, and it’s down to the easy access to these good foods, rather than vast access to frankly not very tasty foods.

It has improved even further in lockdown, as I am not travelling further than the local greengrocer or butcher (The Village Greengrocers, Charlton, London. Butcher is on Twitter @GGSparkes) for our food (or the allotment, although that tends to be large portions of one thing at a time). Plus, the fishmonger at Billingsgate (The Upper Scale) says they’ll continue deliveries even after the resumption of normal services. This is good, as we are enjoying our very fresh fish.

During lockdown, I have been buying cheese and handing it out in the neighbourhood, in addition to eating large quantities of it myself. It’s not much, but I hope it helps people to think that perhaps, good quality cheese is worth seeking out. At any rate, it’s fun to have a nice hunk of British cheddar or blue cheese arrive, and there are so many options online.

Waitrose and Booth’s are both doing selections, as is Northumberland Cheese and Neal’s Yard. It doesn’t replace the catering and restaurant trade, but we can but try. Jaap de Jonge is also listing cheese sites on his LinkedIn page, so it’s worth looking there.

Here’s a few other websites to get you started:

cornishcheese.co.uk

cropwellbishopstilton.co.uk

highwealddairy.co.uk

keenscheddar.co.uk

quickes.co.uk

whitelake.co.uk

#shoplocal #AroundTheCornerMarket

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
  Keep in touch via email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries or LinkedIn: Dairy Industries International magazine.

The post The bureaucracy files appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

Speaking in front of the Committee’s 329 members from all EU 27 Member States, Tzitzikostas laid out the three main priorities during his office term:

“First, the European Union must be at the service of its people and their places of living in their villages, cities and regions. We must support territorial cohesion, innovation, entrepreneurship, but also find credible solutions to managing migration led by solidarity. Secondly, regions and cities must focus on understanding and responding to the profound transformations of the current green, digital and demographic revolutions. Finally, we must strengthen European democracy, putting regions and cities at its very heart, in order to bring Europe closer to people.”

Referring to Brexit as “the wake-up call”, the president called for the EU to be more effective in responding to citizens’ needs: “As elected local and regional politicians, we must make the European Union capable of reaching the hearts of those who feel neglected or forgotten. Europe must take decisions as close as possible to citizens to improve their lives. We must make Europe act to meet citizens’ demands and regain trust. Europe must prove it can listen and change “.

During his acceptance speech, first-vice president Vasco Ilídio Alves Cordeiro said: “My election confirms that in this institution all regions and cities matter and should be able to play an active role in the European project despite of distance, size or wealth. The EU needs to be the motor for achieving a future full of promises and we are going to have to roll up our sleeves so that all regions and cities have their role to play. Their role is crucial to help the EU achieve its goal of not leaving anyone behind. The challenges ahead require boldness and courage to be faced. As the new first vice-president, I will work to make sure the voice of local and regional authorities is heard.”

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The European Dairy Association for its part released a statement in conjunction with Dairy UK asking for considerations such as zero tariffs and quotas between the EU27 and the UK on dairy and dairy related products, the greatest possible alignment in standards to minimise trade frictions and mechanisms to ensure that any divergence in standards cause minimal disruption to trade, as well as robust rules of origin to protect both markets from third party imports, along with no technical barriers to trade. Ireland was also mentioned, unsurprisingly.

The issues that unite the EU and the UK are many in the dairy sector, and as Pekka Pesonen of Copa-Cogeca noted on Farming Today on BBC4 radio this morning, the UK has been an active of member of many of the European organisations for the agricultural sector. (Please also see our interview with him in the March issue of Dairy Industries International.)

Now, there may be less of an impetus for other countries to hear what the UK is saying on trade and dairy products, or perhaps the UK to ignore Europe more often, but listening to each other will definitely be beneficial to both sides.

In fact, this may be the opportunity we’ve all been looking for – sometimes it’s not until the divorce that the partners start working together again, to the greater benefit of their shared interests. UK and EU, think of the agriculture, and don’t fight in front of the farmers and processors. The work starts now.

The post Brexit and next steps appeared first on Dairy Industries International.

“The development of the European ‘lactosphère’, supported by opportunities offered by the EU Single Market, has been a unique success story. EDA and our member DairyUK want to build on this success. That is the reason why EDA and Dairy UK have developed an EU-UK dairy framework. Our objectives are clear. It would be detrimental to both the UK and EU27 dairy sectors if the United Kingdom leaves the EU Single Market and Customs Union without a trade agreement or an alternative solution to keep the milk moving. The only acceptable arrangement would secure the free movement of milk and dairy products between the EU and UK with no tariffs or quotas from either side for milk and dairy products and limit non-tariff barriers to trade (SPS/TBT) as much as possible.

“The negative effects of a failed transition period will go beyond corporate and economic interests and will directly harm consumers and society. Affordable and high-quality milk, cheese, butter and other dairy products, rich in protein and healthy natural fats, are a mainstay of European diets. Disruption to supply chains as a result of a poorly managed future arrangement will force prices up, limit choice and have a negative impact on citizens’ diets.

“The European dairy industry has continuously advocated for a responsible outcome that considers the specificities of our sector. We therefore urge decision-makers on both sides of the Channel to act responsibly and continue the ongoing discussion with the dairy industry.

“In light of the above-mentioned negotiations, the European Dairy Association calls on the European Union and the United Kingdom to take into account the following key asks:

• Zero tariffs and zero quotas in the trade between the EU27 and UK on dairy and dairy related products.
• Greatest possible alignment in standards to minimize trade frictions and mechanisms to ensure that any divergence in standards cause minimal disruption to trade.
• Smooth movement of dairy products with no technical barriers to trade.
• Recognising existing alignment in food law, allow for technical divergence once underlying principles are maintained.
• Robust rules of origin to protect the EU27 and UK market from third country imports.
• Maintenance of all existing dairy GI protection.
• Full implementation of the protocol established in the withdrawal agreement for the Island of Ireland in order to facilitate continued movement of dairy across the land border from both a customs and regulatory perspective.”

The post Dairy demands outlined in framework appeared first on Dairy Industries International.