UK – Dairy co-operative Milk Link and liquid milk and cream supplier Express Dairies have created a joint venture that they believe is the future of the dairy market in the UK.

Called Staplemead Dairy Products, it has been created to develop, produce and market fresh dairy products in selected milk sectors, and is equally owned by the two companies.

The new company has no independent shareholders, and any profits or losses will be shared between Milk Link and Express. The venture will be based at Milk Link’s processing creamery in Frome, which focuses on the production of value added dairy products.

Speaking at the The Farmers Club, London, executives from both companies stressed that the partnership is a major step forward for the UK’s dairy industry, and that it fulfils the recommendation of Sir Don Curry’s report that there should be greater co-operation and collaboration within the dairy industry.

“We’ve broken the mould of co-operatives in the UK – it’s a new collaboration between producer and processor in the UK. We are adding value to raise the intrinsic value of the product, because we aren’t interested in just forcing prices up,” said Tim Smith, executive director of Express Dairies.