Testing times

The replacement of Kate Allum as chief executive of First Milk in the UK surprises no-one. The Scottish co-operative is undergoing testing times and has brought in fresh blood in the firm of Mike Gallacher, who was previously at Mars Petcare. As the dairy industry continues to evolve and domestic dairy processors are thrown into the open pit of international commerce, the skill set of the management team has to broaden to match such diverse challenges. Müller in the UK similarly has named Bergen Merey as its new managing director. Movement of executives in and out of these top slots will probably continue, as companies look to navigate the choppy waters of post-quota Europe.

Another key indicator is over in Germany, where the German dairy industry has followed the UK’s lead and developed its own dairy roadmap to follow for the coming years. In times of uncertainty, it’s good to have a plan to try and work with. In the UK, the Dairy Roadmap has not mitigated change, but it has given the industry a focus and some insight, as well as perhaps calming some nerves. It offers plans and some help. Not bad things to have when volatility has become the norm.