Milchindustrie-Verband e. V.

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 trade association today.

In fact, we represent approximately 100 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, trade 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

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 100 high-performing privately owned, cooperative and multinational companies.
• Around 95 per cent of German milk deliveries or 26 million tons of milk and 100 per cent of the export volume are covered by the association’s members.
• With an annual turnover of about 22 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.

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.

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.

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

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

European

• Eucolait - European Association of Dairy Trade
• ASSIFONTE - European Association of the Processed Cheese Industry
• EDA - European Dairy Association

International

• IDF - International Dairy Federation

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, milk quotas, economic affairs, International Dairy Federation, Executive Director ASSIFONTE

Dr. Gisela Runge

Food and beverage chemist, Executive Scientific Director
Phone: +49 30 4030445-19
runge(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, labour, social and
collective-agreement law, cheese, processed cheese, Executive Director BPM and SMM

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 BUMO and ZDM

Dr. Björn Börgermann

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

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

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

Astrid Stein, lawyer

Senior Officer

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

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

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