co-operative foundation
Dairy farms own Valio through regional cooperatives, and we pay out all our operating profits to Finnish farms. Choosing to buy a Valio product helps you to support a food producer.
Valio has roughly 4,000 dairy farmers that own the company through 14 cooperatives. We are a significant creator of livelihood in the Finnish economy: Our dairy farmers and Valio itself employ, both directly and indirectly, an estimated 30,000 people (Survey by Taloustutkimus in 2015). Furthermore, Valio is the most important customer for over 350 small and mid-sized businesses all around Finland.
One dairy farm provides a job for roughly three people: the dairy farmers, a veterinarian, vacation help, feed makers, machine maintainers and manufacturers as well as barn builders and civil engineering contractors.
In Finland, we source milk from Valio dairy farms, our owners, and in Estonia and Russia, we make products from local milk according to precise quality requirements.
We pay a sustainability bonus to farms that are committed to improving animal welfare.
- / milk volume supplied by the owners.
Milk farms and Valio employ 30,000 people directly and indirectly.
TAKING CARE OF OUR FARMERS’ WELLBEING AND EXPERTISE
Working at a dairy farm requires a variety of expertise and good physical condition. A dairy farmer’s work includes taking care of animal welfare, ensuring milk quality, handling company finances as well as developing the farm. These farmers work nearly every day of the year, including weekends. Municipalities handle the farmer relief services that enable farmers to take a vacation.
Valio’s primary production services related to milk quality, animal health and farm development, for instance, are generally free of charge to our farmers. Valio and co-operatives hold training sessions on various topics, including barn building, silage feed, animal welfare and financial management. Valio encourages dairy farmers to use occupational healthcare services.