The travelling dairy folks

It is an autumn of events for us here at Dairy Industries International. Having gone to the International Whey Conference in Dublin, we then stepped over to Birmingham for the perennial PPMA in September. Now it is October, and it’s the event that so many dairy people go to, from so many parts of the world – the IDF World Dairy Summit, being held 15-18 October.

This year, the International Dairy Federation’s annual summit is following the Paris Olympics with a four-day programme in the City of Light. It promises to be quite the event, with speakers from around the world convening to discuss the state of the industry, from how the French dairy sector is faring, to what Mengniu is dealing with in Asia. The World Dairy Situation report will be detailed by Jean-Marc Chaumet of Cniel, and sessions will include attracting younger people and more women to the dairy trade, net importer regions, continuing to produce dairy in a climate changing world, and the social and cultural role of dairy.

These are just a few of the presentations that will take place over the week, not to mention the poster presentations, the dinners and lunches. Overall, it’s a week where dairy convenes from around the globe, to discuss what we all have to consider, when producing the products that help sustain a planet. I will see you there.

If I miss you at the WDS, I will be at the European Dairy Association’s annual convention in Rome in November. Or, Ines Coutinho, our digital editor, will see you at the World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal. Not to mention Food Ingredients Europe in Frankfurt. These are the November events. Rather happily, these are all either a train ride or a short plane journey away from our base here in the UK. It will be a busy time, but what an expanse of knowledge to collect.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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