National Foods is closing two dairy factories in Australia as part of a consolidation plan that will result in 280 redundancies.

As supply increases from producers in the Southern hemisphere and demand growth slows the currently high global dairy prices are expected to ease somewhat, according to market analysts. They claim that this buoyancy is resulting from factors such as a hike in milk prices on the back of warmer weather in May and higher production output in export regions, the EU releasing intervention stockpiles coupled with a developing premium for powder production over cheese fuelling resurgence in US exports.

A recent study of product launches in the Asia-Pacific region conducted by Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics highlighted WH2Ole, a line of functional water drinks available in New Zealand, which are said to aid the feeling of fullness. The drink contains 5 grams of protein, including whey protein isolate, and 1.5 grams of fiber per 500ml serving. 

The UK’s industry-led Milk Roadmap to reduce the environmental impact of the dairy supply has been extended to cover all dairy products. The scheme, launched in 2008, was broadened having only been applicable previously to the liquid-milk supply chain, which accounts for around 50 percent of production in the sector. “The subsequent success of the initiative has encouraged the industry to extend the approach and targets to all products, including cheese, yogurt, butter, milk powders etc., “ states Dairy UK spokesperson Sam Fortescue.

Danone and Unimilk have agreed to merge their Russian and CIS dairy businesses to create a new entity with annual sales of about €1.5bn. The deal will give the Danone-Unimilk business a leading position in the CIS region, especially in Russia, where it will have a 21 percent market share.