Campina’s Dairy Farmers Show Strong Interest in Producing More Balanced Milk

18/10/06 Campina’s dairy farmers show a strong interest in producing Campina milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition on their own farms. This milk is based on modified cattle feed combined with outdoor grazing. From the start of 2007 Campina farmers will actually make the switch in order to supply consumers from the spring of 2007 with milk containing 10 percent less saturated fatty acids, 20 percent more unsaturated fatty acids and twice as much Omega 3. The biggest differentiated milk flow in the Netherlands will then be a reality.

The good news was made known by Campina during a press conference at the Peek family’s dairy farm in Wilnis (near Utrecht in the Netherlands). To mark the occasion, dairy farmer Robert Peek, A.K. (Atze) Schaap (Director Member Services at Campina) and A.C.J.M. (Ad) Hectors (General Director Cehave Landbouwbelang Voeders) gave the cows their first sample of the new feed in the meadow at Peek’s farm. The new feed and outdoor grazing are at the basis of Campina’s new innovation: milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition.

In July of this year Campina announced that it will be launching Campina skimmed and full-fat milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition on the market at the beginning of next year.

Enthusiastic

Campina has been holding informative meetings for member dairy farmers that produce milk in the supply regions of the Rotterdam and Eindhoven liquid milk plants. Farmers in these regions have been offered the opportunity of producing milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition. “The turnout at most of the meetings was large. The enthusiasm in taking a step towards producing Campina milk that differs from all the others is remarkable. More than 800 members made their interest known”, reports Atze Schaap, Director of Member Services and liaison officer for the 8,400 Campina members, located throughout the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium who together are the owners of the cooperative dairy company Campina. Some 600 member-farmers in the Rotterdam and Eindhoven region will produce the Campina milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition.

Dairy farmers lining up

Campina farmers in those regions can now opt to officially register as producers of Campina milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition. Later this year Campina will begin to make its final selection of the dairy farmers. The farmers selected will then consult with their feed suppliers at the beginning of 2007 to adjust the feed for their cattle. When the cows go to the meadows in spring, full outdoor grazing during a short period of time is sufficient to acquire a more balanced fatty acid composition. Depending on the outdoor grazing schedule the farmer uses for his cows, supplementary feed becomes more and more important during the outdoor grazing season.

Campina is working closely on this project with a number of Dutch feed suppliers. “Cattle feed and grass management are at the heart of a dairy farm. In this area the feed advisors of the cattle feed industry are the trusted partners of our member farmers”, Atze Schaap explains. The cattle feed sector responded positively and constructively to the request to join our dairy farmers to differentiate from the source.”

The idea for the Dutch Campina milk is based on Campina’s experience with this milk concept in Belgium. Some 150 Belgian dairy farmers together account for about 50 million kilos of this milk.

Pilot project starts

In order to introduce this idea in the Netherlands on a large scale at the beginning of next year, around 20 Dutch dairy farmers will now participate in a pilot project to achieve a more balanced fatty acid composition through adjusted feed for the cow. These 20 dairy farmers, ten in the south and ten in the west of Holland will together with their cattle feed advisors closely monitor the issues which arise during the switch.

Logistics

The production of Campina milk with a more balanced fatty acid composition not only affects the farmers involved but also has consequences for logistics and production at Campina. The milk collecting vehicles will drive different routes to take the Campina milk with the more balanced fatty acid to the consumer milk companies in Rotterdam and Eindhoven. Investment programmes are currently running at these plants in order for the new milk flow to be processed separately from the existing milk flows.