Dairy at the heart of change

It’s easy to get drawn into the noise – the negative voices, the regulatory frustrations, and the divisions that dominate the conversation around our food system. At times like these, I like to take a deep breath, reflect on all sides of the debate, and remind myself of the quiet, everyday progress being made by our sector to deliver the resilient and sustainable food systems we need.

The past month has provided just that opportunity. I’ve been fortunate to attend a series of events exploring sustainability and food systems. Each of these reminded me how interconnected we are, and how dairy continues to play a pivotal role in feeding the world sustainably.

During Climate Change Week in New York, the Global Dairy Platform hosted Why Healthy Sustainable Food Systems Need Nutrition and Climate Change Action. An inspiring session, filled with outstanding speakers, but one in particular left a lasting impression: Mary Craft, a dairy farmer who spoke with passion about the balance between producing nutritious food and caring for the environment. Mary captured something we often forget, which is agriculture isn’t an abstract model or an algorithm. It’s a living, breathing system, run by people whose livelihoods depend on nurturing land and animals responsibly.

Back in London, GDP’s annual Nourish Conference took a broad look at sustainability, covering financing, geopolitics, innovation, farming, and the global dairy and livestock narrative.

It was my pleasure to share the stage with Dairy Roadmap chair Bas Padberg (Arla Foods UK), James Waddy (Tesco), and Paul Tomkins (chair of the NFU Dairy Board). Our focus was the Dairy Roadmap – a successful initiative rooted in collective commitment and transparent goals. It has recently been enhanced to include the entire value chain and new stakeholders. It represents a clear commitment and shared ambition to address climate challenges head-on. Its new governance structure exemplifies how transparency, innovation and partnership can shape a more sustainable global food system.

As I write this, I’m in Santiago, Chile, attending the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit. Our Chilean hosts have done an outstanding job of showcasing the latest science and delivering a programme that spans economics, trade, nutrition, environment, standards, marketing and more. Every session has had the “wow” factor and inspires optimism. Yes, the dairy sector continues to work hard to reduce emissions, but we are also embracing inclusion, adaptation, resilience, and diversity. It’s not a simple task, and there are many challenges, but these are being tackled with both science and with great heart.

I’ll highlight one session I had the privilege of chairing: Sustainable Food Systems — Strengthening Rural Communities. Each of the speakers brought their unique expertise and passion to the stage.

• Dr. Thanawat Tiensin, assistant director general of the FAO and director of the Animal Production and Health Division, gave us a tour de force on the global-to-local importance of food systems and how sustainability is perceived differently in developed versus developing nations.
• Rodrigo Saldías, representative of the Uruguay Office of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, highlighted both the realities and opportunities for dairy and rural communities in Latin America.
• Tracy Brown, chair of DairyNZ and a dairy farmer herself, gave an inspirational talk on how the New Zealand dairy sector is driving environmental change and community engagement while fostering resilience.

Tracy later shared with me her ten-point plan for community change: find like-minded people, lead with values, build trust, deliver well, be committed, show up, collaborate, support one another, respect gender diversity, and empower new leaders.

Simple, practical principles – yet powerful reminders for us all as we navigate the red tape of regulation and the distractions that can pull us away from what truly matters.

The last few weeks have shown me, once again, that the dairy sector is not standing still. It is evolving, innovating, and collaborating – quietly but powerfully – building a sustainable future for everyone.

• Judith Bryans, Chief Executive, Dairy UK