Hay milk proves a sustainable hit in Germany

Hay milk is on the up in Baden-Württemberg, the state’s minister of agriculture Peter Hauk was told, when he visited the Allgäu Emmental cheese dairy in Wangen, Germany. The company is currently investing €10 million ($10.4m) in the construction of a new cheese production hall and in a new steam supply.  

“This modernization takes technical progress into account and is an investment in the future. The interior is currently being fitted out, and construction should be completed in September”, the dairy’s chairman Markus Stützenberger comments 

The cheese dairy, which is supplied by 150 farmers from the Allgäu and Upper Swabia, is also a member of ARGE Heumilch. This unites hay milk farmers and processors from Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, who operate traditional hay farming and produce sustainable milk products.  

During the tour, Peter Hauk exchanged views with those responsible at the Emmental cheese dairy in Leupolz and ARGE Heumilch in order to get their personal perspective of the expansion and orientation towards sustainable hay milk production.  

“I am pleased that this sustainable way of doing business also is gaining in importance in Baden-Württemberg and more and more farmers and processing companies are taking this promising path”, he says.  

The minister finds that it offers farmers an attractive opportunity to stand out from the international milk market in the future. 

ARGE Heumilch, which now operates in both Austria, Switzerland and Germany,  aims to increase awareness and sales of sustainably produced hay milk products in Germany. It gets a boost from an EU sales promotion, which should strengthen sustainable products.  

“This puts us in a position to step up our presence on the market over the next three years and to convince German consumers of the benefits of hay farming for animals, nature and people”, tells Christiane Mösl, who is managing director of ARGE Heumilch.  

In neighbouring Austria, ARGE Heumilch has been working since 2009 to promote the marketing of hay milk products and thus strengthen the hay industry.  

“We have increased awareness of hay milk in Austria to 87 % in recent years. We are also striving for a top value like this for Germany”, Christiane Mösl told the German minister during the dairy visit in Leupolz. 

“The quality product hay milk offers many consumers exactly what they are looking for: sustainable, regional products that taste excellent and meet high animal welfare standards. We are very pleased that we were able to talk to minister Hauk about haymaking as a future opportunity for companies in Baden-Württemberg”, said Markus Fischer, the chairman of ARGE Heumilch Deutschland, after the tour. 

 

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