DENMARK – The Danish dairy industry had a successful year in 2003 compared to its neighbours, according to the Danish dairy board Mejeriforeningen’s chairman Kaj Ole Pedersen.

He said that the dairy industry had every reason to be proud, having outperformed its foreign competitors by up to 10%.

“We remain able to offer Europe’s best producer payments because dairy companies in Denmark, small and large, have made massive investments in production optimisation,” said Pederson.

He added that 2004 would be a challenging year in Europe, with the USA’s dollar remaining weak, export refunds falling, extra competition from the EU’s new members and the advance of discount retailing.