"Arla heightens human rights focus", 11 Jan 2014

In a statement today, Danish dairy group Arla promises to increase their awareness of human rights and the fate of local, small farmers when entering foreign markets...The heightened focus on corporate social responsibility comes as a result of pressure from NGO Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke [ActionAid Denmark)...“We are farmer-owned and our job is to sell and export milk in the best possible way for our owners,” said Astrid Gade Nielsen, the communications director for Arla. “But while we have a strong focus on responsibility, we must say that they [MS] have convinced us.”...As of April 2015 the EU will remove its quotas on milk exports and delivery meaning that European milk products will soon flood export markets, which will impact local farmers and production. “If we get a giant like Arla to act differently and begin to support the local farmers’ production instead of outranking them, it could have a huge effect,” Frans Mikael Jansen, the secretary general for MS, tells Politiken...Nielsen said that Arla is also interested in helping others in the industry to make the same types of agreements its made with MS.