Lidl and IFA in conclave about milk origin

Supermarket chain Lidl and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) are in conclave about the origin of the milk of Lidl's own brand. The Irish do not believe that the milk comes from Ireland and have made this clear through media advertisements. Lidl, on the other hand, claims that the milk does come from Ireland and sees the ads as damaging to the company's reputation.

The 'discussion' between supermarket chain Lidl and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has made it to the High Court (similar to the Supreme Court in the Netherlands). The fact that the IFA has published media advertisements in recent weeks making statements about Lidl - including the statement that its own-brand milk does not come from Ireland - has prompted the German retailer to launch defamation proceedings against chairman Tim Cullinan and IFA Vice President Brian Rushe.

"The allegations by the Irish Farmers Association that we are misleading our customers and that the milk under our own label is not Irish are extremely damaging to us, especially because the allegations are not true," the supermarket chain claims. Therefore, Lidl is asking the judges to rule that IFA cannot make any publications stating that Lidl's milk is not Irish, that it is involved in illegal and deceptive practices, or that it has misled its customers about the origin of its products.

'Milk comes from Irish farmers'
Lidl supports the story by stating that the milk is supplied by Strathroy in Northern Ireland. "The own brand is sold under the brand 'Coolree Creamery'. It is true that the milk is packaged outside of Ireland. Therefore the packaging cannot bear the National Dairy Council logo. The fact that the Lidl milk may or may not be the NDC logo does not change the fact that the milk comes from Irish farmers," the company added.

A decision will be made after the Easter holidays of the court (in April).

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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