Abstract
In Germany in 2016, the market share of organic milk products was 4.3% of the whole milk products market, slightly lower than the average of all organic products (5%). A total of 47,300 tons of organic yoghurt was produced in Germany in 2016. The market share of organic natural (unflavored) yoghurt is 7.3% of the whole German natural yoghurt market. Whereas in the conventional value chain, exports are very important (nearly half of the production volume), imports are necessary in the organic sector. One of the major reasons why German organic milk production has continuously grown in recent years is that German producers of organic cow milk can rely on high and stable prices compared to fluctuating and often low prices of the conventional produce. Organic yoghurt is supplied to consumers through all kinds of distribution channels. In terms of volume, around 74% of the organic yoghurt is distributed by conventional retailers, followed by organic specialized retail stores. Another distribution channel is direct selling from on-farm dairies to consumers, but reliable data on the size of this channel is lacking. In terms of sustainability performance, organic yoghurt performs better than its reference for all the economic and social indicators we could assess. It also consumes less water. Regarding the carbon footprint of organic yoghurt production, the picture is today unclear. These environmental assessments are more favourable to organic yoghurt when indicators are expressed on a per hectare (rather than per ton) basis.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
“REGULATION (EU) 2016/304 of 2 March 2016 entering a name in the register of traditional specialties guaranteed (Heumilch/Haymilk/Latte fieno/Lait de foin/Leche de heno (TSG))”
- 2.
A private certification organization is a union of organic farmers and manufacturers set up for the joint marketing and control of products. The first organization, founded in 1924, was Demeter. Demeter requirements are higher than those laid down in the EU regulation on organic farming. The most important organic certification organizations in Germany for milk are Bioland (which certifies 50% of the organic milk produced in Germany), Demeter, Naturland, Biokreis, Biopark and Gäa. These certifiers have their own standards (“EU+”) which are checked by the yearly mandatory controls by German control bodies. Most of the 50 organic certified dairies in Germany are certified “EU+”.
- 3.
In Germany, organic farmers associations like Bioland or Naturland are at the same time (a) (private) certification bodies, mandating inspections bodies to carry out controls on farms (b) lobbying organizations (communication via own labels) and (c) market actors through (outsourced) entities buying and reselling crops, animals, etc.
- 4.
References
Albrecht-Seidel, M. (2018). Expert interview with Marc Albrecht-Seidel on 13.6.2018, Verband für handwerkliche Milchverarbeitung im ökologischen Landbau e.V. (VHM).
Alföldi, T., & Nowack, K. (2015). Biowissen – Fakten und Hintergründe zur biologischen Landwirtschaft und Verarbeitung. Frick: Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau (FIBL).
AMI. (2017a). AMI Marktbilanz Öko-Landbau 2017 – Daten, Fakten, Entwicklungen. Deutschland, EU: Welt“, e-book.
AMI. (2017b). AMI Marktcharts Importangebot von Bio-Produkten in Deutschland – Biomilch- und Molkereiprodukte – Stand 8.3.2017. Bonn: Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH.
AMI. (2017c). Marktspiegel Milcherzeugung, edition of 4/2017, 28.4.2017.
AMI. (2018a). AMI Marktbilanz Öko-Landbau 2018 – Daten, Fakten, Entwicklungen. Deutschland, EU: Welt“, e-book.
AMI. (2018b). Database DE Client AMI CP+ 30.000 FMCG, Excel files concerning packaging sizes of natural yoghurt, June/July 2018.
Bellassen, V., Giraud, G., Hilal, M., Arfini, F., Barczak, A., Bodini, A., Brennan, M., Drut, M., Duboys de Labarre, M., Gorton, M., Hartmann, M., Majewski, E., Muller, P., Monier-Dilhan, S., Poméon, T., Tocco, B., Tregear, A., Veneziani, M., Vergote, M.-H., Vitterso, G., Wavresky, P., & Wilkinson, A. (2016). Strength2Food project, deliverable 3.2: Methods and indicators for measuring the social, environmental and economic impacts of food quality schemes. Dijon: INRA.
Bioland. (2017). Durchschnittliche Milchpreise Deutschland, 26 June 2017, based on www.biomilchpreise.de
Blanc, M. (2017). Analyse des filières laitières biologiques en Europe – Fiche pays Allemagne, Résilait, ITAB, Institut de l’Elevage, Mathilde Blanc, Jérôme Pavie; no year indicated, received in 2017.
BLE. (2018). Kuhmilchlieferung der Erzeuger an deutsche milchwirtschaftliche Unternehmen, Excel data-file of 08. January 2018. Available on www.ble.de/DE/BZL/Daten-Berichte/Milch-Milcherzeugnisse/
BLE. (2018b). Versorgung mit Sauermilch-, Kefir- und Joghurterzeugnissen, Milchmischerzeugnissen sowie -getränken in Deutschland nach Kalenderjahren, Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE), Excel data-file of 14.5.2018. Available on www.ble.de/DE/BZL/Daten-Berichte/Milch-Milcherzeugnisse/
Bloksma, J., et al. (2008). Comparison of organic and conventional raw milk quality in Netherlands. Biological Agriculture and Horticulture, 26, 69–83.
BMEL. (2017). Ökobarometer 2017, Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL).
BMEL. (2018). Ökologischer Landbau in Deutschland. Bonn: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL).
BÖLW. (2016). Zahlen, Daten, Fakten zur Bio-Branche 2016. Berlin: Bund für Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW).
Brügmann, R. (2018a). Stabilität dank Engagement – Wie es den Biomilchbauern gelingt, sich zunehmend vom konventionellen Markt abzusetzen und die Milchpreise stabil zu halten“, article in. Kritischer-Agrarbericht 2018”, p. 129 ff.
Brügmann, R. (2018b). Expert interview with Rüdiger Brügmann, Bioland e.V. – Koordinationsstelle Bio-Milch, 8.6.2018.
Butler, G., et al. (2011). The effects of dairy management and processing on quality characteristics of milk and dairy products. NJAS – Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 58, 97–102.
Destatis. (2017). Land und Forstwirtschaft, Fischerei – Viehhaltung der Betriebe Agrarstrukturerhebung 2016, Fachserie 3 Reihe 2.1.3.
EU Parliament. (2016). Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture; EPRS (European Parliament Research Service) – Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA), PE 581.922.
Bos, F. F. P., et al. (2014). Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in organic and conventional farming systems in the Netherlands. Wageningen Journal of life sciences, 68, 61–70.
Feeding + Dairy Co. (2012). Managing organic feeding, section 8, June 2012.
Halpern, D. (1999). Social capital: The new golden goose. Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Cambridge University. Unpublished review.
Hemmerling, S., et al. (2015). Consumption behaviour regarding organic food, March 2015.
Hörtenhuber, S., et al. (2013). Integrative Bewertung von Merkmalen der ökologischen, ökonomischen und sozial-ethischen Nachhaltigkeit landwirtschaftlicher Produktionssysteme am Beispiel von Milchproduktionssystemen (Nachhaltige Milch), FIBL, BOKU, AWI; final report October 2013; research project number Nr. 100783.
Just, R. E., & Pope, R. D. (2001). The agricultural producer: Theory and statistical measurement. In B. L. in Gardner & G. C. Rausser (Eds.), Handbook of agricultural economics, Volume 1, Part A (pp. 629–741). Amsterdam: North-Holland.
KTBL. (2017). Ökologischer Landbau – Daten für die Betriebsplanung im ökologischen Landbau (2nd ed.). Darmstadt: Datensammlung Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft (KTBL).
LKV. (2014). Leistungs –und Qualitätsprüfung in der Rinderzucht in Bayern 2014; LKV (Landeskuratorium der Erzeugerringe für tierische Veredelung in Bayern e. V.).
LKV. (2016). LKV Milchleistungsprüfung Bayern 2016, Uwe Gottwald, et al, Drake Media GmbH Oeyenhausen.
Mack, C. (2018). Expert interview with Christine Mack (18.5.2018). Munich: Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL-Institut für Ernährung und Märkte).
Meier, M. (2016). Mit wunderschönem Gruss aus der Region, article in Biowelt, ed, p. 14–17.
MIV. (2017a). Beilage zum Geschäftsbericht 2016/2017 – Zahlen, Daten, Fakten. Berlin: Milchindustrie-Verband (MIV) e.V.
MIV. (2017b). Fakten Milch – Milch und mehr – Die deutsche Milchwirtschaft. Berlin: Milchindustrie-Verband (MIV) e.V.
MRI. (2018). Authentifizierung von Bio-Milch. https://www.mri.bund.de/de/nrz/forschung/authentifizierung-von-bio-milch/download. 9 July 2018.
Ofenbeck. (2018). Expert interview with Christian Ofenbeck on 11.6.2018, LfL (Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft Lehr-. Kringell: Versuchs- und Fachzentrum & Akademie für ökologischen Landbau und Tierhaltung).
Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone – the collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Rampold, C. (2018). Expert interviews with Christine Rampold, organic milk specialist at AMI – Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH, Bonn.
Reinhard, G. (2018). Email-exchange with Dr. Guido Reinhardt in May 2018, scientific Director at IFEU – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, Heidelberg.
Runge, K. (2015). Wem gehört die Biobranche? Gesellschafterstrukturen im Wandel in Der kritische Agrarbericht 2015, article of Karsten Runge.
Sanders, J., et al. (2016). In: J. Sanders, D. Gambelli, J. Lernoud, S. Orsini, S. Padel, M. Stolze, H. Willer, & R. Zanoli (Eds.), Distribution of the added value of the organic food chain – Final Report. Braunschweig: Thünen Institute of Farm Economics.
Sautereau, N., & Benoit, M., (2016). Quantifier et chiffrer économiquement les extenalités de l’agriculture biologique, Nov 2015.
Schumacher (2018). Expert interview with Ulrich Schumacher, Bioland e.V. / Gut Wilhelmsdorf, 14.6.2018
Scheitz, B. (2018). Expert interview with Barbara Scheitz, CEO of Andechser Molkerei.
Smith-Spangler, C., et al. (2012). Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives. Annals of Internal Medicine, 157, 348–368.
Statista. (2017). Umsatz mit Bio-Lebensmitteln in Deutschland in den Jahren 2000 bis 2016, Statistikportal, https://www.statistikportal.de/de/node/150
Steinberger. (2018). Expert interview with Siegfried Steinberger; LfL (Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft). Grub: Institut für Tierernährung und Futterwirtschaft.
Szezinski, B. (2018). Expert interview with Brigitte Szezinski, sales manager at Molkerei Hohenlohe/Schrozberger Milchbauern.
Thünen. (2017). OekoBuchführung, table 131- Betriebe des ökologischen Landbaus nach Betriebsformen im Vergleich zu konventionell wirtschaftenden Betrieben, Excel-file with results from Testbetriebsnetz, Thünen/BMEL; downloaded on 26.4.2018: https://www.bmel-statistik.de/landwirtschaft/testbetriebsnetz/testbetriebsnetz-landwirtschaft-buchfuehrungsergebnisse/
TopAgrar. (2018). Damit die Heumilch fliesst, article in Topagrar südplus, nb.4-April 2018, p. 13.
Warnecke, S., Schulz, F., Paulsen, H. M., Rahmann, G. (2014). Differences in feeding practices on organic and conventional dairy farms – data from a farm network. In G. Rahmann & Aksoy U (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference. Building Organic Bridges, at the Organic World Congress 2014, 13–15 Oct., Istanbul, Turkey (eprint ID 23349).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Böhm, M., Gauvrit, L., Schaer, B. (2019). Organic Yoghurt in Germany. In: Arfini, F., Bellassen, V. (eds) Sustainability of European Food Quality Schemes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27508-2_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27508-2_23
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-27507-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-27508-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)