When consumers purchase dairy products or foods containing dairy ingredients they see the brand or the name of the manufacturer and occasionally that of the packaging producer. They do not see the name of the bank that financed the manufacturer’s business, the equipment companies that supplied the installations or the other external parties involved in the production and delivery to the market of these products. Dairy traders also belong to this invisible but crucial group of companies in the supply chain. And where the role of the bank or the equipment company is relatively easy to explain, this is not necessarily the case for the traders.
 

The European dairy trading community provides a variety of services to the market place and ensures that products find buyers efficiently and effectively. Traders have a key role in connecting supply to demand, thus improving the functioning of the dairy market and limiting price volatility. This becomes evident not just by looking at an individual transaction involving a trader but at the total mass of transactions involving all dairy traders.
 

This lack of visibility and the complexity of its role obscures the positive and responsible contribution of trade to the good functioning of the dairy market place.
 

Eucolait, the European Association of Dairy Trade represents the interests European wholesalers, exporters and importers of dairy products. Founded in 1959, Eucolait today has over 500 members in 16 EU Member States and many associate members outside the EU.

Eucolait members are keen to ensure that policy makers and stakeholders in the dairy supply chain gain a better understanding of the positive and responsible role of dairy traders and have compiled the following set of principles of responsibility which guide them in their daily business.


The Principles:
 

1. Eucolait members supply dairy products that meet all applicable legal requirements
   
   Eucolait Members are fully aware that their active role in the supply chain imposes a broad range of legal requirements not only for the products they supply but also for the documents that relate to these shipments. To ensure full regulatory compliance, Eucolait members have developed systems to ensure traceability and food safety.  
    
2. Eucolait members are customer focused
   
   Eucolait members supply dairy products that meet customer requirements and correspond to the description laid down in the specification sheet.
    
3. Eucolait members are responsible and ethical in their commercial dealings
   
   Eucolait Members adopt good commercial practices with all stakeholders in the dairy supply chain. They seek to apply clear and generally accepted contract terms. Such contract terms also include provisions on dispute settlement.
    
4. Eucolait Members operate in full transparency
   
   Eucolait Members are fully transparent about their role and obligations in the market place and engage in an open and transparent manner with all relevant authorities at local, regional, national or European level. 
    
5. Eucolait Members are committed to the market place
   
   Eucolait Members are convinced of their positive contribution to the better functioning of the food supply chain. Through their membership of Eucolait and national dairy trade associations they demand acknowledgement of this role and further improvement of the conditions under which they operate from competent authorities.
    
6. Eucolait Members operate sustainably
   
   Eucolait Members develop their business in a sustainable manner by striving to secure the future profitability of their trading activities, to ensure decent livelihoods for the people who work for them and to minimise the environmental impact of their business.