Association of the German Dairy Industry

A strong partner

Pooling expertise
Assuring growth
Shaping policies
Strengthening the market economy

Association

Preface

Milk is both a staple food and an elixir of life. In order to preserve the great significance of milk also in the future, the Association of the German Dairy Industry is committed to meeting and mastering the challenges it faces both today and tomorrow: methods of increasing sophistication, causal connections of growing complexity, competition becoming fiercer each day. The German dairy industry is challenged with maintaining a balance between politics and the market – nationwide, throughout the EU and at the international level.

We have represented the interests of the nation’s dairy industry for about 100 years. Since its foundation in 1912, the Association of the German Dairy Industry has been successfully expanding, and despite two world wars and against the background of the Wirtschaftswunder and German reunification is a leading association today.

In fact, we represent approximately 80 member companies, covering almost the entire dairy industry in Germany. By combining regional expertise with international networking, we contribute to a sustainable strengthening of the German dairy industry’s international competitiveness.

Creating mutual trust through intensive collaboration with politicians, officials, associations, the business community, science and the media constitutes the basis of our association’s continued success. With our members and partners, we shall continue to tackle the multifaceted tasks with shared commitment in the future.

Kind regards,

Eckhard Heuser
Chief Executive

Profile

A truly multifunctional organisation: Representative, mediator, lobbying body and service provider

The Association of the German Dairy Industry is the umbrella organisation of the German milk processing companies:

Approximately 80 high-performing privately owned, cooperative and multinational companies.
Around 95 per cent of German milk deliveries or 30 million tons of milk and 90 per cent of the export volume are covered by the association’s members.
With an annual turnover of about 35.6 billion euros, the German dairy industry is the largest division in the country’s food sector.

The Association of the German Dairy Industry represents the interests of and provides services for its members at the regional, national, European and international level.

Competences

The Association of the German Dairy Industry is the central support and information platform for dairy industry issues

Influence: We represent the interests of our members towards decision-makers among politicians, officials, the business community, the retail sector, the academic and research communities, the media, and the general public at both national and international level.

Inform: We report on all sectorally relevant issues regarding economic, agricultural and environmental policies as well as scientific and legal questions at national, European and international level.

Network

Regional expertise and international networking

By regular exchange of news and views, intensive collaboration and shared activities, we successfully develop the sector’s inherent potentials.

Our cooperation partners are:

Regional

State dairy associations in the Federal Republic of Germany
VBPM – Association of Bavarian Private Dairies
IPMB – Communitiy of interests of Bavarian Private Dairies

National

VDM – German Dairy Association
GML – Association of State Dairy Federations
ZMB – Central Dairy Market Reporting
EXU – Export Union for Dairy Products
BUMO – German Federal Association for Dairy Products
ZDM – Central Association of German Dairy Producers
BPM – German Federal Association of Private Dairy Producers
DRV – German Raiffeisen Association
DBV – German Farmers’ Association
Food Federation Germany (formerly BLL)

European

Eucolait – European Association of Dairy Trade
DSF – Dairy Sustainability Framework
EDA – European Dairy Association
FDE – FoodDrinkEurope

International

IDF – International Dairy Federation
GDP – Global Dairy Platform

Advise: We provide support for all issues of concern to the dairy industry at national, European and international level, and for intra-company topics and crisis situations.

Analyse: We resolve complex issues in product and working groups and in our Scientific Advisory Board.

Educate: As the sector’s central contact partner, we perform intensive public relations work, conduct an open dialogue, and are committed to a differentiated analysis of complex issues.

Exchange information: We support the regular exchange of news and views. We also organise expert conferences, workshops and specialist training events for member companies as well as parliamentary evenings and political debates.

Contact

Berlin Office

Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Heuser

Chief Executive
Phone: +49 30 4030445-21
heuser(at)milchindustrie.de

Association policy, internal organisation, market affairs, market regulation, powder, milk and evaporated milk, economic affairs, International Dairy Federation, Executive Director ASSIFONTE

Dr. Angela Kohl

Executive Director
Phone: +49 30 4030445-19
kohl(at)milchindustrie.de

Research, hygiene, quality management, product safety, nutrition, biotechnology, additives, Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr. Katrin Lehmann

Senior Officer
Phone: +49 30 4030445-19
lehmann(at)milchindustrie.de

Hygiene, nutrition, additives

Dipl.-Ing. Karin Monke

Senior Officer
Phone: +49 30 4030445-30
monke(at)milchindustrie.de

Procurement/purchasing, foreign trade, Executive Director EXU

Dr. Jörg W. Rieke, lawyer

Executive Director
Phone: +49 30 4030445-22
rieke(at)milchindustrie.de

National, European and international dairy and food law, competition law, labour, social and collective-agreement law, cheese, processed cheese, Executive Director BPM, SMM and NAP

Torsten Sach, lawyer

Senior Officer
Phone: +49 30 4030445-51
sach(at)milchindustrie.de

General legal issues, fresh dairy products, consumer milk, butter/dairy
spreads, Executive Director ZDM

Dr. Björn Börgermann

Executive Director
Phone: +49 30 4030445-30
boergermann(at)milchindustrie.de

Logistics, trade issues, export questions, Milk & Market Information Bureau, foreign trade, Executive Director EXU

Roderik Wickert

Head of Press/Public Relations
Phone: +49 30 4030445-30
wichert(at)milchindustrie.de

Friedrich Schulz-Gebeltzig

Senior Officer
Phone: +49 30 4030445-24
schulz-gebeltzig(at)milchindustrie.de

Logistics, trade issues, export questions, Milk & Market Information Bureau, foreign trade, Senior Officer EXU

Astrid Stein, lawyer

Senior Officer
Phone: +49 30 4030445-20
stein(at)milchindustrie.de

Energy and sustainability, environment, european law, liaison with EU bodies and the European umbrella and partner associations

Dr. Simon Harnisch

Senior Officer
Phone: +49 30 4030445-27
harnisch(at)milchindustrie.de

Sustainability, environment, quality management, standardization

Brussels Office

Amelie de Grahl

Head of MIV’s Brussels Office

Phone: +32 2 51261-35
degrahl(at)milchindustrie.de

European law, food, competition and contract law, liaison with EU bodies

Milestones

100 years of the Association of the German Dairy Industry

1912

Foundation: the Association of German Dried Milk Producers is set up

1949

Rebuilding: the Association of the German Dairy Industry is re-founded in the Unified Economic Zone of Germany

1974

Expansion: amalgamation with the German Confederation of the Cheese and Processed Cheese Industry

1988

Cooperation: collaboration with the Export Union for Dairy Products

1993

Unification: merger with the East German Association of the Dairy Industry

1996

Concentration: merger with the German Federal Private Dairies Association

2005

Expansion: merger with the North-Western-German Private Dairy Industry Confederation

2012

Anniversary: 100 years of the Association of the German Dairy Industry

2014

The Association of the German Dairy Industry opens its second office abroad. In addition to Brussels, the association is now also represented in Beijing.