Morrisons Signs Up to Arla UK 360 Farm Standards Programme
Arla Foods’s new farming standards programme Arla UK 360 continues to gain traction as Morrisons becomes the first retailer to commit to supporting the standards across its entire Arla milk supply. The move means approximately 200 Arla farmer owners will be directly supported by Morrisons to deliver across the eight farm business areas identified in the 360 programme as key to help driving a supply chain that works for everyone.
Graham Wilkinson, Agriculture Director at Arla Foods UK, comments: “It is hugely significant that Morrisons is supporting the Arla UK 360 programme across all of its Arla supplied milk. This level of support for our farmer owners creates real scale to the to the Arla UK 360 programme and its continued development.”
The move means that Arla owners aligned with Morrisons will transition to the Arla UK 360 standards in the coming months with a target to have reached these by October 2019. The standards cover all six areas of the 360 model – Animal Health, People, Environment and natural resources, community, Economic reinvestment and resilience and Research and Development to lead the dairy agenda.
Sophie Throup, Agriculture Manager at Morrisons, says: “Being supplied by farmers who care about their staff, environment and the welfare of their animals is important to our customers and therefore it is important to us. We are looking forward to working with Arla on introducing their 360 standard to our pool of farmers.”
The announcement comes just weeks after the Arla UK 360 programme was recognised at leading industry awards as an innovative farming approach that benefits everyone. Arthur Fearnall, a Morrisons aligned owner and member of Arla’s Board of Directors, comments: “The more support we can secure for the Arla UK 360 programme, the greater the number of Arla’s farmer owners that can participate. Creating one standard for our customers that leads the UK industry, provides increased financial return for farmers and flexibility for research and development to continuously improve our industry. We are delighted that Morrisons will be investing in Arla UK 360 across its entire Arla milk supply meaning around 200 farmers will benefit from their additional support.”
Further information on the Arla UK 360 programme can be found here.
Arla Foods is owned by 10,300 dairy farmers with circa 2,400 of whom are British. Dating back to 1881, Arla’s purpose is to secure the highest value for its farmers’ milk, while creating opportunities for their growth. With production facilities in 11 countries and sales offices in a further 30, Arla is the world’s fifth largest dairy company and largest supplier of organic dairy products. Arla has a total of more than 18,000 colleagues and its products are sold under the well-known brands Arla®, Lurpak® and Castello® in more than 100 countries.
Arla Foods UK is the largest dairy company in the country and is home to leading dairy brands Anchor®, Arla Cravendale®, and Arla Lactofree® with a turnover of €2.9 billion. The UK is largest market within the Europe Zone, contributing 35% of the zone’s turnover and also comprises 25% of the group revenue. As well as being a leading supplier of fresh milk, number one in butter, spreads and cream, Arla is the UK’s largest cheese manufacturer.
