{{short description|British dairy products subsidiary}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use British English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox company | name = Arla Foods Ltd. | trade_name = Arla UK | logo = Arla UK logo.png | type = Subsidiary | genre = | foundation = {{Start date and age|2003}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03487778 | title= Companies house report| access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref> | founder = | location_city = Leeds | location_country = United Kingdom | location = | locations = | area_served = United Kingdom | key_people = | industry = | products = Dairy products – Lurpak, Cravendale, Lactofree | services = | revenue = {{increase}} £2,620 million (2018)<ref name=ar>{{cite web|url= https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02143253/filing-history | title=Companies house report|access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref> | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = 3,460<ref name=ar/> | parent = Arla Foods | divisions = | subsid = | slogan = | homepage = {{Official URL}} | footnotes = | intl = }}
'''Arla Foods Ltd.''' is a major dairy products company in the United Kingdom, based in Leeds, and a subsidiary of Arla Foods, which is owned by its farmer owners.
==History== The company was created by the merger in 1980 of the British dairy group Express Dairies and the British subsidiary of Arla Foods, a Swedish-Danish dairy production co operative, jointly owned by Swedish and Danish farmers. The parent company, Arla Foods Amba, initially held a 51% stake, but acquired the rest of the company's shares in April 2007.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Arla Foods amba acquires full ownership of UK subsidiary |url=http://www.arlafoodsuk.com/appl/GB/gb060AFU/gb060d01.NSF/O/27CC75F35A5E60B2C12572B3005219DB |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070716014455/http://www.arlafoodsuk.com/appl/GB/gb060AFU/gb060d01.NSF/O/27CC75F35A5E60B2C12572B3005219DB |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 July 2007 |publisher=Arla Foods UK |date=5 April 2007 |access-date=1 May 2008 }}</ref>
In Britain, Arla supplies milk to retailers, such as Asda's own brand farmer's milk,<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Cathedral City Cheddar and Cadbury chocolate 'linked to Amazon deforestation' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/cathedral-city-cadbury-brazil-deforestation-b1938539.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327170543/https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/cathedral-city-cadbury-brazil-deforestation-b1938539.html |archive-date=27 March 2023 |access-date=20 February 2025 |work=The Independent }}</ref> and owns many household brands including Lurpak,<ref>{{cite news |date=5 July 2022 |title=Lurpak says butter price up to give farmers fair deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-62051481 |access-date=20 February 2025 |work=BBC News }}</ref> Anchor Butter,<ref name=":0" /> Cravendale,<ref name=":0" /> Lactofree and Castello.
According to the BBC, in August 2015, farmers were paid less per pint of milk by Arla than by supermarkets that buy directly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-33960879|title=Where should you buy a pint of milk?|first=David|last=Gregory-Kumar|date=18 August 2015|access-date=18 July 2018|work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-31058356|title=Do farmers really make a loss on milk?|date=18 July 2018|access-date=18 July 2018|work=BBC News}}</ref>
In August 2021, people acting on behalf of Animal Rebellion blockaded Arla's dairy facility in Aylesbury, citing the large climate and ecological burden of dairy production compared to plant-based alternatives.<ref>{{cite news |date=31 August 2021 |title=Animal Rebellion protesters blockade Arla dairy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/animal-rebellion-arla-dairy-blockade-b1911602.html |access-date=17 August 2022 |website=The Independent }}</ref> The same site was again blockaded in September 2022.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 September 2022 |title=Animal Rebellion activists stop milk supply in parts of England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/04/animal-rebellion-activists-stop-milk-supply-parts-england |website=The Guardian }}</ref>
In November 2024, Arla, and Müller became subject to a boycott by some consumers, after Arla Foods announced that they would add the product Bovaer (3-Nitrooxypropanol, main ingredient (is manufactured by DSM-Fermenich) to the cattle feed of some of their cows as a trial to reduce methane emissions. The boycott, according to Arla, and ''The Grocer'', is down to misinformation over the safety of Bovaer and its claimed links to Bill Gates, which has been misattributed to different company in the same industry which Bill Gates has invested into (Gates' invested in the competing product 'Rumin8').<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=Kevin |date=28 November 2024|title=Arla says boycott calls over methane-cutting feed additive based on 'misinformation' |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/arla-says-boycott-calls-over-methane-cutting-feed-additive-based-on-misinformation/698417.article |access-date=29 November 2024 |website=The Grocer }}</ref> In response to the announcement, the Soil Association said that 3-Nitrooxypropanol would not be classed as an organic ingredient.<ref>https://x.com/SoilAssociation/status/1862448002494873730 Soil Association's official Twitter Account dated 29 November 2024 "This has led us to receive a large number of questions about whether this feed additive would be permitted in organic. It would not. Soil Association organic standards stipulate that all ingredients/components of a feed additive must be actively approved for use and be deemed safe and nutritionally useful for the animal. The main components that make up Bovaer are not included in the list of approved products/compounds and as a result, Bovaer would not be permitted under organic standards and for use in organic farming. Arla buys milk from many different farms and they supply both organic and non-organic milk. Any organic milk they supply must meet organic regulation requirements and the production has to be completely separate from any non-organic milk. This must be demonstrated and independently audited every year."</ref>
==Products== Arla is the largest supplier of fresh milk and cream in the United Kingdom, producing over 2.2 billion litres of milk per year. It produces two premium milk brands: Cravendale filtered milk, which undergoes a filtration process to remove bacteria before pasteurization; and Lactofree milk, from which lactose is removed, making it suitable for most lactose intolerant people. Lactofree was launched in January 2006, and is available in the United Kingdom.<ref>[http://www.just-food.com/news/arla-launches-lactose-free-dairy-drink_id87826.aspx Just Food, 27 January 2006]</ref> Arla began licensing its lactose removing patent to other producers, in September 2010.<ref>[http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Manufacturing/Arla-offers-licence-for-lactose-free-dairy-expertise Food Manufacture, 1 September 2010]</ref> Up to September 2010, Lactofree had seen growth by 37% year on year.<ref>[http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Business-News/Lactofree-sales-up-37-as-Arla-posts-profit-surge Food Manufacture, 1 September 2010]</ref> {{asof|July 2021|post=,}} Lactofree is worth 70.8% of the UK's lactose free milk market.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 July 2021 |title=Arla UK to create 50 jobs in Settle as lactose free milk plant doubles its capacity |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/arla-uk-to-create-50-jobs-in-settle-as-lactose-free-milk-plant-doubles-its-capacity-3318223 |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=yorkshirepost.co.uk }}</ref> Following the success of Lactofree milk, Arla introduced a range of lactose-free products, including cheese and yoghurt.
As well as fresh milk, Arla produces butter under its popular brands Anchor and Lurpak. In 2017, Alra made the decision to switch to British dairy from imported New Zealand dairy for its Anchor brand.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ford |first=Richard |title=Arla moves Anchor butter production to the UK |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/arla-moves-anchor-butter-production-to-the-uk/232185.article |access-date=20 February 2025 |website=The Grocer }}</ref> Lurpak continues to utilise imported dairy from Denmark, where the bulk of Arla's farms are located. Other products include fromage frais, yoghurts (Skyr yogurt) and the blue cheeses Rosenborg and Danish Blue. The firm also produces fruit juice.
==Locations== The company has processing plants in England at Palmers Green (London), Stourton (Leeds), Settle (North Yorkshire) and Malpas (Cheshire), and in Scotland at Lockerbie. In January 2009, Arla ceased production at its dairy in Manchester.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 April 2010 |title=Dairy closure will cost up to 300 jobs |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/dairy-closure-will-cost-up-to-300-955445 |access-date=17 November 2024 |website=Manchester Evening News }}</ref> The company also operates the world's largest milk processing plant in Aylesbury, which was opened on 24 May 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/arla-officially-opens-worlds-largest-dairy-plant/|title=Arla officially opens worlds largest liquid milk plant|date=28 May 2014|access-date=18 July 2018}}</ref>
Arla Foods obtained the Westbury Dairies plant in January 2016,<ref>{{cite web |title=Arla and First Milk confirm future of Westbury Dairies |url=https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/overview/news--press/2016/pressrelease/arla-and-first-milk-confirm-future-of-westbury-dairies-1293545/ |access-date=17 November 2024 |website=www.arlafoods.co.uk }}</ref> in Westbury, Wiltshire, which has become a site for the production of Anchor butter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arla Foods launches new Anchor Spreadable campaign |url=https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/overview/news--press/2016/pressrelease/arla-foods-launches-new-anchor-spreadable-campaign-1482598/ |access-date=17 November 2024 |website=www.arlafoods.co.uk }}</ref>
Arla Foods briefly operated the Milk Link dairy in Crediton, Devon following the merger with Milk Link in 2012. However was sold in a management buyout in April 2013 with the Crediton operations being renamed as Crediton Dairy Limited.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website}}
{{Agriculture in the United Kingdom}} {{Arla Foods}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Arla Foods Category:British companies established in 2003 Category:Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Category:Dairy products companies of the United Kingdom Category:Manufacturing companies based in Leeds Category:British subsidiaries of foreign companies