Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

News in brief

Dean Foods’ shares jump as billionaire investor buys stock

12-Jan-2011 - Dean Food’s shares jumped up by over 11 per cent on Friday as hedge fund firm Appaloosa Management acquired a 7.35 per cent stake in Dean Foods.

Pay talks break down at Adams Foods' Leek site

12-Jan-2011 - Union leaders failed to agree a pay deal for staff at Adams Foods' cheese packing plant in Leek on Monday, but remain hopeful of agreeing a package with management that will avert the need for strike action.

Weekly comment

CAP reform circus re-opens - but this time it’s serious

10-Jan-2011 - Roll up, roll up, the Great CAP Reform Circus is back in town. Missing those long arguments about the future of farm support? Hungry for more debate about how best to limit spiraling European farm commodity prices?

Arla Foods: Super-dairy will create 680 skilled jobs

07-Jan-2011 - Arla Foods’ proposed £150m 1bn litre 'super-dairy' in Aylesbury will create 680 skilled jobs, while the development of commercial space next door could create 500 more, bosses have claimed.

Wimm-Bill-Dann goes east as Russia approves PepsiCo deal

05-Jan-2011 - Wimm-Bill-Dann has acquired a dairy plant in eastern Russia as the government gives its approval for PepsiCo to acquire the company.

Arla Foods in merger talks with German co-op

21-Dec-2010 - Arla Foods is in merger talks with the German dairy co-operative Hansa-Milch as it looks to broaden its portfolio and improve its negotiating position with customers in the country.

News in brief

Arla in merger talks with German dairy co-op

17-Dec-2010 - Arla Foods has revealed that it is in merger talks with the German dairy co-operative Hansa-Milch.

Comment

PepsiCo pays a high price for a gamble in Russian dairy

08-Dec-2010 - When PepsiCo put up $5.4bn last week to acquire Wimm-Bill-Dann, it was seduced by the promise of high revenue growth but like any high-yield investment the Russian deal does not come without risks.

PepsiCo eyes dairy potential in Wimm-Bill-Dann acquisition

03-Dec-2010 - PepsiCo has revealed plans to acquire Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods in a $5.4bn deal that it sees as an opportunity to open up new dairy opportunities.

News in brief

Danone and Unimilk finalise Russian dairy merger

01-Dec-2010 - Danone and Unimilk have finalised the merger of their fresh dairy businesses in Russia and other CIS countries, creating a new entity with annual sales of about €1.5bn.

News in brief

General Mills agrees to buy Mountain High Yoghurt

22-Nov-2010 - General Mills agreed to buy the Mountain High Yoghurt business and Mountain High brand from Dean Foods, the company has said.

Dairy UK gives CAP reform update a mixed review

19-Nov-2010 - A communication from the Commission on the direction of reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) has got a mixed reaction from Dairy UK A communication from the Commission on the direction of reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) has got a mixed reaction from Dairy UK.

Rabobank changes view on future dairy role of China and India

16-Nov-2010 - Rabobank has changed its view on the likely role of China and India in global dairy markets. It has abandoned the view that the countries will reach self-sufficiency soon and now predicts that they will call on the world market more frequently in the next three to four years.

Dairy Crest wins 50m-litre contract with Tesco

11-Nov-2010 - Dairy Crest has picked up a new 50m litre milk supply contract with Tesco but reported a 24% drop in operating profit in its dairies division to £10.9m on the back of higher input costs and competitive pressures.

Rachel's boss takes helm at Loseley Dairy Ice Cream

11-Nov-2010 - Ex-Rachel’s boss Neil Burchell has taken the helm at Cwmbran-based ice cream maker Loseley Dairy Ice Cream (formerly known as Hill Station Ice Cream).

News in brief

Low UK milk prices can only improve, says Carrs

10-Nov-2010 - Carr Milling Industries revealed a 27 per cent jump in its annual profits this week, but highlighted milk as the "notable exception" among farm commodities in the UK.

Arla Foods Milk Partnership slams milk price war

05-Nov-2010 - The boss of one of the UK’s biggest milk supply groups has slammed cost-cutting by discount stores that he claims has taken £252m out of the supply chain.

Adams Food Ingredients invests in new factory

04-Nov-2010 - Adams Food Ingredients (AFI) is investing millions of pounds in a new build factory at its headquarters in Leek, Staffordshire to increase its range of products and services.

USDA economists up dairy retail inflation forecast

29-Oct-2010 - New forecasts published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest that dairy retail prices in the US could jump by more than 5 per cent in 2011.

Moody’s: R&R Ice Cream well-placed to do more deals

26-Oct-2010 - Ice cream maker R&R is well placed to make further sizeable acquisitions if it continues to improve margins, particularly in its French operations, according to credit ratings firm Moody's.

Danone targets emerging markets for continued growth

22-Oct-2010 - Emerging markets will be the target for continued growth Danone announced yesterday, as Asian markets contributed significantly to the company’s 15 per cent growth.

FrieslandCampina lets go of major facility in organisational shake-up

22-Oct-2010 - FrieslandCampina has sold its yoghurt and dessert making facilities in Elsterwerda, Germany, as the company puts into action restructuring plans that will result in 942 job losses.

Two farmers jailed for milk quota fraud in Italy

13-Oct-2010 - Two men in Italy have received jail sentences for evading levies totaling about €20m under the European Union (EU) milk quota scheme.

DairyCo breaks down changes in share of dairy pie

06-Oct-2010 - Supermarkets in the UK are taking a bigger and bigger share of profits from the dairy sector according to a DairyCo report on the margins of farmers, processors and retailers.