melkveesector

The melkveesector denotes the dairy sector: the activities involved in producing milk from dairy cattle and converting it into consumer dairy products. It encompasses farming, processing, packaging, distribution, and marketing, connecting rural producers with households, restaurants, and retailers. The term is commonly used in Dutch-speaking and regional contexts to describe the integrated dairy economy.

Dairy farming ranges from smallholders to large operations, focusing on herd management, milking, feed supply, health, and welfare. Milk is collected by processors or cooperatives, standardized, pasteurized, and used to produce cheese, yogurt, butter, milk powder, and other products. The value chain includes input suppliers (feed, breeding animals, equipment), transport, packaging, quality testing, and logistics; cooperatives and private processors are major market players, often coordinating milk supply and processing capacity.

Regulation covers food safety, labeling, and product standards; animal welfare and environmental rules; and sometimes farm subsidies or price supports. Trade policies and international markets influence prices and demand. Sustainability considerations, including greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient management, water use, and biodiversity, increasingly shape production practices, investment, and consumer choice.

Market dynamics include price volatility driven by feed costs and weather, consumer demand shifts, and competition from dairy alternatives. The sector has seen consolidation among processors and growth in value-added products. Technological advances such as automated milking, herd genomics, and cold-chain logistics aim to improve efficiency and product quality while reducing environmental impact.