FAQ
What does it mean that Arla is owned by dairy farmers - and how does it benefit you as a consumer?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT ARLA IS FARMER-OWNED?
Arla is a dairy cooperative, owned by 12,500 farmers. All the benefits from the sale of Arla’s products go back to those owners. The owners live in seven countries in Northern Europe and they share the earnings equally on each litre of milk they deliver to Arla. Our cooperative roots go all the way back to the 1880s and our structure means that we work collaboratively to create a sustainable long term future for the dairy industry.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR ME OF PURCHASING PRODUCTS FROM A FARMER-OWNED COOPERATIVE?
We get most of our milk from the farmers who own Arla and we know every single one of them. We are in control of the quality of the milk all the way from the cow to the shelf and you can rest assured that our owners’ milk is natural, nutritious and sourced in a responsible and sustainable way.
When you buy our products, all Arla’s earnings go directly back to our farmer owners. If you want to support the dairy farmers, choose products with our farmer owned marque – or any other product from Arla.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR MILK IS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY?
Arla farmers own Arla and to ensure all Arla’s products are high quality, farmers have to make sure the raw milk they supply meets high standards. One way they do this is by adhering to our farm quality programme Arlagården®, which also ensures that the milk is produced in a sustainable manner and from cows that are well looked after.
DO ARLA FARMER OWNERS HAVE A SAY WHEN THEIR MILK PRICE IS SET?
Because Arla is owned by dairy farmers, there are 15 farmers on Arla’s Board and 179 farmers on the Board of Representatives. These are elected through a democratic process, where every farmer owner has one vote.
The Board of Representatives decides the pricing model which the Arla Board uses when it adjusts the milk price each month. Because our farmers’ milk is sold across the world, the milk price reflects changing market conditions and fluctuates according to the global market milk price.
WILL THE FARMER OWNERS BENEFIT FROM GOOD MARKET CONDITIONS IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY?
Arla farmer owners have agreed to share equally the earnings from each litre of milk they deliver to Arla. This is a core principle in the cooperative model – Arla farmers stand together in good and bad times and they share the profits and losses from all markets.
AS A CONSUMER HOW CAN I HELP FARMERS?
You can choose a dairy supplier which delivers the profit back to the farmers. When you buy a product from Arla, you can rest assured that all our earnings go back to our farmer owners to help create a long term sustainable milk production. Choose products with our farmer owned marque – or any other product from Arla.