Dairy Market News to February 8, 2012   Â
Prepared by:
Dave Brown, R.A. Chisholm Ltd. Dairy & Meat Traders Since 1938Â
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SWITZERLAND
CHEESE EXPORTS RECOVER STRONGLY – Source: Dairy Industry Newsletter February 6, 2012
Swiss cheese exports recovered strongly over the second half of 2011. In total, Swiss cheese exports increased by 1.4% to 64,500t after a decline of 2.3% during the first half of the year. Traditional sorts like Emmental or Gruyère suffered, however, by 9.4% (as well as exports of fondue and soft cheese that declined by 10-15%). The category of other semi-hard cheeses increased despite the strong Swiss franc such as: Raclette +7.8% and Vacherin Fribourgeois +3.3%; 40% of all Swiss cheese exports were sold to Germany.
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RUSSIA / UKRAINE
CHEESE TRADE BAN IMPOSED – Source: Dairy Industry Newsletter February 8, 2012
This week, Russia banned imports of a number of dairy products produced by some Ukrainian companies. Gennady Onishchenko, head of the Russian consumer protection agency, said the ban would target Ukrainian cheese companies who refused to cooperate with the Russian government on inspections. The move comes despite Ukraine's objecting to allegations that some Ukrainian companies had not been sticking to Russian cheese quality standards. But analysts said that the move comes as Moscow puts pressure on Kiev to force it to join the Russia-led trade bloc. This comes at a time when Ukraine and Russia have failed to reach an agreement on lowering prices for Russian natural gas, and on giving the Russian gas company Gazprom access to Ukraine's gas pipelines.
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USA
LACTALIS TO BOOST MOZZARELLA PRODUCTION – Source: Dairy Industry Newsletter February 7, 2012
Lactalis America is ramping up Mozzarella production at their Nampa plant in Idaho to keep up with the growing demand. This is expected to create another 70 jobs. It will also mean the company will need another 50m liters of milk from local dairy farmers to boost production to close to 15,000t a year. The Mozzarella will be sold under the Galbani brand. Production will begin in the spring of 2013.
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