IDF stresses global necessity of dairy industry
Speaking at the China Dairy Industry Association Annual Conference, Dr Judith Bryans, president of the International Dairy Federation (IDF), has stated that the dairy industry plays a key role in feeding the world and must respond on a global level to those who challenge its integrity.
Dr Bryans says, “We know the world’s population is growing and will reach over nine billion by 2050. We know that the world’s demographics are changing and that soon we’ll have more older people in the world than new births. We know that as people prosper their desire to consume dairy goes up.
“Dairy has long been recognised as providing high quality nutrition but the sector is now being attacked on this by anti-dairy groups and plant based alternatives. Our environmental credentials are also being questioned.
“As a sector, we know we have a strong case to put forward to policy makers as to why dairy farming and dairy products should form an integral part of feeding the world and helping to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It’s essential that we do that at every opportunity.”
Dr Bryans told the conference that there is optimism in world dairy markets at the moment but the caveat to that is that dairy markets have always experienced cyclical volatility. It can have profound effects on dairy farmers and processors alike.
She adds, “We need to continue to develop a range of tools to help our dairy farmers through those difficult periods of time.”
In 2016, the FAO signed the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam with the IDF in which the FAO recognised the importance of dairy, with the IDF committing to continuous improvement, with the declaration setting out a number of principles for doing so. A number of IDF member countries have endorsed the Dairy Declaration since then.
Dr Bryans congratulated the China Dairy Industry Association for being the first country to endorse the principles. The Declaration aims to underline the integrated approach that the dairy sector takes to promote the sustainability of dairy systems, taking into consideration social, economic, health and environmental dimensions.
