Learn something new every day
Credit: Skyr
The latest issue of Dairy Industries International has gone to press, and I learned something that I didn’t know about skyr while producing it – skyr is a cheese, as it has added rennet. I thought it was a yogurt, although it shares many of the same good qualities we appreciate in yogurt.
I think we will have plenty of opportunity to eat more of it next month, when we head to Iceland for the Nordic Dairy Congress, which is being held in Reykjavik. (20-22 May)
I am looking forward to seeing some of you there in the land of fire and ice, as Iceland likes to portray itself. We will be examining some of the native breed of cattle, whose ancestors were brought over around 1,000 years ago and are related to the Norwegian Blacksided Troender-type cows. I always like to visit the ladies who provide us with our whole industry and these sound like lovely examples of the many breeds that populate our planet.
Speaking of cattle, the US continues to suffer from outbreaks of avian flu in the dairy herds of 17 states, and there were 1,021 dairy herds affected as of this month. California and Washington appear to be the hardest hit. Troubling times for the dairy folks there. Closer to home, foot and mouth disease is in several European countries, including Germany, Hungary and Slovakia. The UK has imposed import bans on meat products from the Continent as a result, including some dairy. Also a source of stress from the key members of the sector.
It goes to show how important health measures are and protecting the herd is, globally. Mother Nature has an interesting way of showing us how humans are part of the overall ecosystem, no matter what anyone thinks about it. Keeping our food clean and safe is the top priority in our industry. As Judith Bryans has said many times, if food is not safe, it’s not food.
- Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International.
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