Finnish dairy giant Valio has announced that it is to introduce milk sourced from free-range cows in the country, starting mid-September.
The milk, sourced from Valio’s free-stall farms, will be available in its 1-litre and 1.75-litre cartons in skimmed, low-fat, semi-skimmed and whole milk variants.
The move is part of the dairy giant's ambition to make free-range milk available to everyone.
Sustainable Milk Production
Development manager at Valio, Mira Appelqvist, said, "We believe that free-range milk will become the new norm. Sustainable milk production is not an option; it’s a condition for existence and a requirement of our operation, both ethically and economically.
"About two-thirds of Valio Group’s cows live in free-stall barns, and that number continues to grow."
Free-Range Milk
Packaged at Valio’s Riihimäki, Jyväskylä, and Oulu dairies, the free-range milk is homogenised and pasteurised in the normal way and tastes like any other fresh milk.
Cows in free-stall farms move about, eat, and rest at their own pace, Valio said.
The cows do not consume soy or GMO feed and are primarily grass-fed, with supplements of domestic grains and turnip rape and rapeseed.
Sustainability Bonus
Valio offers a sustainability bonus of two cents per litre of milk to dairy farmers who have committed to higher standards of animal welfare.
The milk produced is also free of antibiotics as the cows are never given antibiotics as a preventive measure, but only as prescribed by a veterinarian, the dairy group said.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
