The Dutch dairy industry wants more of the value-added market in German retail outlets.
The Netherlands remains the most important supplier of standard cheeses to Germany, with total shipments across the border reaching 208,000 tonnes in 1998, or 39% of all German cheese imports.
But processors are giving a special publicity boost to value-added products such as Best Butter, a premium priced version of the standard Dutch Marken butter, and Pikantje Gouda, a matured version of the usual cheese.
Pikantje Gouda, stored for four months, is being relaunched in Germany to take advantage of what the Dutch claim is a growing interest in stronger-tasting cheeses. Last year, German sales of the matured Gouda topped 12,000 tonnes, representing a retail turnover of