GERMANY – Following years of unsuccessful protests over milk prices, a group of German dairy farmers has formed an independent milk marketing organisation to improve its contract negotiations through strength in numbers.

German farmers have suffered from years of low milk prices, which sometimes fell below the cost of production.

Despite only being formed this spring, Bundesverbandes Deutscher Milchviehhalter (BDM) has already signed up 7% of Germany’s dairy farmers, which represents around 110 million kg of milk.

BDM’s aim is to use its power as a bulk supplier between farmers and processors to secure better prices and to establish longer term supply contracts to help stabilise prices.