Australian envoy seeks to end Red Cow dispute

The Australian high commissioner (HC) to Bangladesh sought intervention of ministries to enforce a court order about using trademarks of two international milk product brands by both New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh Ltd and Sanowara Corporation.
Douglas Foskett, the Australian high commissioner, in a recent letter to Mahbub Jamil, special assistant to the chief adviser for the industries ministry, urged him to take measures as Sanowara is supplying “inferior” milk products in Bangladesh using the names of Red Cow and Diploma brands.
"I would be grateful if your ministry could follow this up with the relevant authorities, including the Patent, Design and Trade Mark Directorate, the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and the Ministry of Home Affairs," Foskett said.
In the letter Foskett said currently New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh is the sole authorised distributor of milk and milk products of Red Cow and Diploma brands in Bangladesh.
"Sanowara continues to supply inferior milk products in Bangladesh under the Red Cow and Diploma brands, although this activity became illegal as the Appellate Division gave verdict (in favour of New Zealand Dairy). Sanowara's actions damage the brands and trade off Bonlac's international reputation for them," he said.
Bonlac Foods Ltd (Bonlac) is the former name of Fonterra Australia, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd (Fonterra).
Managing Director of New Zealand Dairy SA Mallick said under an agreement between New Zealand-based Fonterra Co-operative Group and New Zealand Dairy Products Bangladesh, only the latter is allowed to market the Red Cow and Diploma brand dairy products.
"Since the court gave verdict in favour of us, Sanowara has no authority to sell the milk products under the brand names of Diploma and Red Cow," Mallick said.
Asked, Chief Coordinator of Sanowara Group Mohammad Yeasin said they are not marketing Red Cow and Diploma brand powdered milk now. "We are now marketing our own brands Kwality and newly launched Diplomilk," he said.
Sanowara launched its new dairy milk product Diplomilk in local market on Wednesday, Yeasin said.

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