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Fresh Produce

Valio To Launch Free-Range Milk In Finland

By Dayeeta Das
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Valio To Launch Free-Range Milk In Finland

Finnish dairy giant Valio has announced that it is to introduce milk sourced from free-range cows in the country, starting mid-September.

The milk, sourced from Valio’s free-stall farms, will be available in its 1-litre and 1.75-litre cartons in skimmed, low-fat, semi-skimmed and whole milk variants.

The move is part of the dairy giant's ambition to make free-range milk available to everyone.

Sustainable Milk Production

Development manager at Valio, Mira Appelqvist, said, "We believe that free-range milk will become the new norm. Sustainable milk production is not an option; it’s a condition for existence and a requirement of our operation, both ethically and economically.

"About two-thirds of Valio Group’s cows live in free-stall barns, and that number continues to grow."

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Free-Range Milk

Packaged at Valio’s Riihimäki, Jyväskylä, and Oulu dairies, the free-range milk is homogenised and pasteurised in the normal way and tastes like any other fresh milk.

Cows in free-stall farms move about, eat, and rest at their own pace, Valio said.

The cows do not consume soy or GMO feed and are primarily grass-fed, with supplements of domestic grains and turnip rape and rapeseed.

Sustainability Bonus

Valio offers a sustainability bonus of two cents per litre of milk to dairy farmers who have committed to higher standards of animal welfare.

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The milk produced is also free of antibiotics as the cows are never given antibiotics as a preventive measure, but only as prescribed by a veterinarian, the dairy group said.

© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.

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