An Arla Foods plant in Germany has been affected by a cybersecurity incident, the dairy giant has confirmed.<\/p>\n
The Lurpak and Castello owner said \u201csuspicious activity\u201d had hit the co-op\u2019s IT network as its plant in the German town of Upahl.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the security measures implemented as a result of the incident, production has been affected,\u201d Arla said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur production and IT experts are working diligently to resume normal operations at the site and we have now begun the process of systematically restarting the systems to ensure a return to full functionality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Denmark-based group declined to comment further when contacted by Just Food.<\/p>\n
Arla generated sales of \u20ac1.27bn ($1.42bn) in Germany in 2024, up 1.5% on a year earlier. Germany is Arla\u2019s third-largest market by annual sales behind the UK and Sweden.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Arla\u2019s group revenues reached \u20ac13.8bn ($14.39bn), a rise on the \u20ac13.7bn generated a year earlier.<\/p>\n
According to Arla\u2019s 2024 annual report, the cooperative employed 1,635 staff in Germany last year. Its total headcount was 23,632.<\/p>\n
Last month, Arla announced plans to merge with DMK<\/a>, the largest dairy co-op in Germany.<\/p>\n The pair said in a joint statement the deal would create \u201cthe largest dairy cooperative in Europe\u201d, with members in Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n The transaction could bring a combined, pro-forma revenue of \u20ac19bn ($20.75bn) to the new entity, which would carry the Arla name and be headquartered in Denmark.<\/p>\n In 2024, DMK generated revenue of \u20ac5.1bn, down from \u20ac5.5bn a year earlier. Its brands include Milram, Oldenburger, Uniekaas, Alete Bewusst and Humana.<\/p>\n According to a Rabobank report published last August, Arla was the seventh-largest dairy group worldwide, based on 2023 financials. DMK ranked 18th.<\/p>\n Last week, Oettinger Getr\u00e4nke, the German beer and soft-drinks group, said it was investigating a cyberattack on the business<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a brief statement, the privately owned company confirmed the breach and said it was looking into the \u201cpotential\u201d for data leaks.<\/p>\n According to specialist publication\u00a0Cybernews, ransomware group Ransom House claimed it held data from the brewer.<\/p>\n