A guide to Italy

Off to Italy this week to attend the European Dairy Association annual conference on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Italy. The World Dairy Forum promises to be a look at the EU and its place in the global marketplace. It’s hard to believe that when I joined the magazine just over nine years ago, international dairy trading was around seven per cent of the total milk supply. I am not sure what the number is now, but I suspect that percentage has increased by a fair amount.

Free trade agreements will be examined, and the impact they might have on dearly held issues such as PDOs, as the EU continues its negotiations with the US. Another interesting topic will be from the IDF president Jeremy Hill, who will discuss global answers to the challenges for the dairy sector. Whether the world markets have the answers European processors are seeking remains to be seen.