On 13 January, Fairkoperativ, a cooperative of dairy farmers in Luxembourg, hosted Minister of Agriculture Martine Hansen and the new European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, for a screening of the documentary “Trainée de poudre”.

The screening of the documentary was followed by a discussion and Q & A session with the director Patrick Remacle and farmers from the following Fair Milk projects: D’fair Mëllech from Luxembourg, Fairebel from Belgium and FaireFrance from France.

This documentary follows individuals who are fighting to change a broken system that is harmful to both European and African farmers. Since the abolition of quotas, the dairy sector has faced recurring crises that are caused by – among other factors – overproduction. These surpluses, which are partly turned into fat-filled milk powder containing vegetable oil, are exported to African countries and have serious consequences for producers on both continents. It means that producer prices in Europe collapse, while local producers in Africa are marginalised by this milk powder that floods their market and creates unfair competition.

Dairy farmers in several European countries decided to take matters into their own hands and created their Fair Milk brand: D’fair Mëllech in Luxembourg, Fairebel in Belgium, FaireFrance in France, Die faire Milch in Germany, Faireswiss and Di fair Milch Säuliamt in Switzerland. The Fair Milk project is living proof that fair remuneration in the dairy sector is possible.

In Luxembourg, the farmers of Fairkoperativ have been advocating for fair, local, family farming since 2011 with their brand “D’fair Mëllech”. This commitment is not limited by borders, explains Danielle Warmerdam-Frantz, President of Fairkoperativ: “As milk producers in Luxembourg, we want to show solidarity with our African colleagues by sharing our skills and know-how. With the support of Luxdev, farmers from D’fair Mëllech and Fairebel have contributed funds to set up a dairy in Burkina Faso, so that local producers can sell their products under the Fairefaso brand and secure their future.”

Consumers can also support fairer farming for producers on both continents. In fact, D’fair Mëllech works in close collaboration with Fairtrade. By purchasing their chocolate milk and three flavours of ice cream, consumers guarantee fair remuneration not only for dairy farmers in Luxembourg, but for cacao producers in Ghana as well.

The dairy farmers present at the screening underscored the importance of such projects and called on the new European Commissioner to finally implement the structural reforms needed to ensure that the dairy sector is not hit by recurring crises, and it can, once again, offer the next generation prospects.

Danielle Warmerdam-Frantz, farmer and President of Fairkoperativ, February 2025

As the new year has rolled in and farmers have settled back into our spring calving pattern, where we calve most of our cows in February and March to coincide with our grass-grazing season, Irish farmers have many thoughts on their minds – much more than the impending arrival of calves and damage from the latest storm. Here are the main issues concerning the members of ICMSA for the coming year.

While the halls of the French agricultural show SIA were filled with thousands of discussions, the committed colleagues from FaireFrance served Fair Milk to numerous visitors and welcomed EMB representatives to their stand.

Multiple Swiss farmers’ organisations have called into question the role and legitimacy of the interbranch organisation IP Lait through a parliamentary motion. Their demand: a fairer governance system, more transparency in contracts, and milk prices aligned with production costs.

While a potential revision of the European Green Deal offers both challenges and opportunities, the possible – positive and negative – impacts on the dairy sector would be significant. Producers could face higher costs as a result of adopting greener practices, investing in sustainable technologies, and meeting stricter regulations.

At the latest EMB General Assembly, member organisations from numerous European countries met to discuss the key challenges faced by the dairy sector. Everyone agreed: even if farmers are now paid cost-covering farm-gate prices more often than before - i.e. we have made progress in achieving one of the EMB’s goals – the fundamental issues plaguing the dairy sector persist and they must be addressed NOW. It is time to stop farms from going out of business – European dairy farmers demand rigorous reforms for future-proof agriculture.

Today, many dairy farmers are suffering because their profession does not get the recognition it deserves. If we want to highlight the value of dairy farming, perhaps we should begin by singing the praise of dairy cows. We need to understand their essential role in our agricultural system and showcase their many contributions. I have therefore decided to give my dairy cows a voice. I interact with them day in day out and they are a part of my life. But I realise that the public at large knows very little about them. So, I will do my best to speak on their behalf.

On 4 September 2025, the European Milk Board took part in a large protest in Brussels, where numerous organisations from the agricultural, environmental and development sectors jointly expressed their opposition to the planned trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries. For the EMB, it is clear that the Mercosur agreement unilaterally serves the interests of large trade and industrial groups – with serious consequences for European agriculture, the environment and food security.

This summer, the German dairy farmers’ association BDM celebrated its 20-year anniversary with summer fests and dairy farmer evenings. Two key events took place in September: the Fair Milk Conference in Dortmund and the Agriculture Ministers Conference in Heidelberg. We are currently gearing up for our symposium, which will be held on 7-8 November in Arnstadt near Erfurt – for the first time outside of the International Green Week. Against this backdrop, setting the political agenda comes strongly into focus.

The Swiss dairy market is plagued by uncertainty: cheese exports are expected to drop due to the tariffs imposed by the United States. What do we do with the milk that we will no longer be able to sell in this way? BIG-M is highly concerned about the interbranch organisation’s decision to offload these milk volumes abroad in the form of butter.

At Di fair Milch Säuliamt, we are grappling with whether a regional certification like “Suisse Garantie” could help us grow, while taking stock of the many hoops to jump through in order to obtain it. At the same time, we are working on a new product that is sure to delight our customers and consumers.