Arla Foods suspends milk collections from UK farms over animal welfare breaches

UK – Arla Foods has confirmed the suspension of raw milk collections from multiple supplying farms after internal inquiries substantiated breaches of statutory animal welfare standards.

As reported by Agriland, the enforcement action follows a 12-month covert investigation conducted by activist organization Animal Justice Project across 16 Arla-supplying holdings in 13 English and Welsh counties, which supply commercial liquid milk into major retail channels, including supermarket chain Tesco.

The footage released by the activist organization alleged unacceptable handling practices, including the forcing of severely lame cows to walk, rough handling, tail twisting, and the immediate separation of newborn calves.

In response to the documented incidents, Arla conducted internal audits to verify the findings and immediately suspended milk intake from the non-compliant holdings.

An official spokesperson for Arla Foods confirmed the intervention to Agriland: “Animal welfare is of the utmost importance to us, and we take all reports and concerns seriously. Our investigation has confirmed cases of unacceptable behaviour that fall below our standards.

“We have therefore suspended milk collection from a number of the farms involved. These farms have been placed on action plans, including extensive training and follow-up requirements.”

The cooperative reiterated that milk collections will remain halted until independent re-audits verify full adherence, warning that failure to meet benchmarks will lead to permanent supplier termination.

Concurrently, British retail giant Tesco confirmed that farms identified in its direct dedicated supply chain have been suspended while independent investigations proceed.

Beyond sanctions on specific holdings, Arla is introducing a broader tightening of compliance standards across its entire UK farmer-supplier base.

Arla Foods reports revenue of US$8.86B in H1 2026

The company reported revenue of US$8.86 billion (EUR 7.6 billion), up 6.7% as global demand for nutritious dairy grew across its strategic brands in H1 2026.

Net profit rose to US$243.08 million (EUR 213 million), up from US$179.9 million (EUR 158 million) in the first half of 2025.

Strategic brands grew across regions, with particularly strong momentum in protein and sports nutrition.

The strong result has enabled the Arla Board of Directors to approve a half-year supplementary payment of 1 EUR-cent/kg of milk delivered to farmer owners.

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