Welsh organic milk supplier Trioni is set to make waves in the Far East after securing a deal to supply its branded organic UHT milk to China.

The dairy will initially ship 20,000 litres of Daioni-branded whole and semi-skimmed organic long-life milk per month to China but hopes to increase volumes in due course.

Trioni’s milk will be imported through Silver River Foods and will be targeted at retailers in Shanghai and Beijing.

Sales and marketing manager Helen Blackburn said final details over pricing were yet to be agreed, “but it looks like we’ll be starting from January.”

The deal follows three trial shipments earlier this year. Trioni also went on a recent UK trade mission to China, led by Defra secretary of state Owen Paterson.

Blackburn said Trioni had worked on the deal for the past 18 months. “I became aware of the changes in Chinese policy on food imports and consumption and increased interest in both drinking milk and using organic produce in general,” she said.

She added the size of the Chinese market meant even small categories, such as organic milk, represented “an exciting opportunity for our company and other UK organic producers”.

However, there were also challenges, Blackburn said, adding Trioni was looking for government help in overcoming Chinese organic inspections, which China requires importers to pass every year. “Owen Paterson has pledged the urgent support of Defra and the high commission to work on gaining equivalence or partnerships with certification bodies, and we are in communication with them as well as the Soil Association.”

China’s domestic dairy industry has suffered a number of safety scares in recent years, which has fuelled demand for imported dairy products.

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