Dairy Farmers of Britain
Dairy Farmers of Britain (DFoB) was a UK co-operative milk processor that bought milk directly from farmers and had several factories producing milk and cheese products for sale in various regions throughout the UK. The company was formed as a raw milk trading business (milk broker) in 2002 with the merger of The Milk Group and Zenith Milk.[1]
Agricultural marketing cooperative | |
Founded | 2002 |
Headquarters | , |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Products | milk, cheese |
Website | dfob.co.uk |
Dairy Farmers of Britain was the UK's leading dairy farmers' co-operative, marketing almost 1.4 billion litres of milk per year from more than 2,000 member farms.
In 2004, DFoB became the third largest milk processor in the UK, processing over 1.35 billion litres of milk each year into 600 different dairy products, by purchasing Tyneside-based Associated Co-operative Creameries for £75 million from the Co-operative Group.[2] Key products included a branded range of fresh milk, award winning cheeses in the Cadog range, and many other products such as butter, cream and milk powder.
In April 2007, it announced the intention to cease production at its creamery in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The following year it was also announced that production was going to end at two more of its creamery sites, Fole, near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, and Portsmouth, putting over 600 people out of work.
Dairy Farmers of Britain went into receivership on 3 June 2009.[3] Its farmer members lost significant sums of money, but a number have at least managed to find alternative customers for their milk.[4]
References
- "Milk Group and Zenith merge". The Grocer. via ECNext Goliath. 2002-06-22. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- "Dairy farmers buy £75m milk firm". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 10 Aug 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- "Dairy Farmers enters receivership". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 3 Jun 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
- "Crisis deepens for dairy farmers". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 16 Jun 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-05.