The dairy industry in the west is going through a tumultuous time.
dairy farms have closed ?
in the last three years. In the
US, decreased consumption levels led to a
where the dairy industry
started price fixing, with half a million cows slaughtered in order to inflate milk prices.
Luckily, this
corruption is being prosecuted, and the US dairy industry was fined $52 million earlier
this month.
Free from growth
This is all happening in tandem with growth in the
dairy-free sector, which includes plant-based milk, cheese and ice-cream.
by Grand View Research
revealed that the global dairy-free market is expected to grow by 16.6 per cent to $35
billion by 2024.
As a result, some dairy companies have moved into the plant-based industry to
stay competitive, as evidenced by Danone’s recent
of WhiteWave Foods, the umbrella company to vegan business So Delicious, Silk
and Vega.
Others in the dairy industry have become worried.
David
Dobbin, Chief Executive of United Dairy Farmers,
about the
declining industry, saying: “It’s a demographic time bomb.”