FrieslandCampina is planning to increase the production of VLOG milk. Credit: Jagoda Kondratiuk on Unsplash.

Dutch multinational dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina plans to increase the production of Verband Lebensmittel Ohne Gentechnik (VLOG) milk significantly due to a sharp rise in demand in Germany.

VLOG is a German association responsible for the certification and issue of the ‘Ohne Gentechnik’ label.

As part of the plan, the dairy cooperative intends to increase the number of participating dairy farms that supply VLOG milk from 400 to more than 600.

The Dutch dairy cooperative will also offer incentives to dairy farms which supply milk according to VLOG standard.

It will grant dairy farms an extra reward of one cent per kilogram of milk in addition to the outdoor grazing premium.

The remaining value, through the performance payment, benefits all member dairy farmers and contributes to the investments in the various cheesemakers.

Through this initiative, FrieslandCampina aims to produce food without the use of genetically modified organisms.

The initiative covers the entire chain from feed flows, dairy farming, transport and dairy processing to the store shelf.

Currently, more than 50% of milk produced in Germany is said to be in line with the VLOG standard. FrieslandCampina is said to be the first dairy company to use VLOG dairy in 2017 in the Netherlands.

All VLOG milk produced by FrieslandCampina dairy farmers is used to make cheese for the German market.

Last June, FrieslandCampina urged its member farmers to supply milk that complies with the VLOG standard for its cheese production facilities in Born and Workum in the Netherlands.