Back from Bratislava, a lovely city in Slovakia where the European Dairy Association had its annual convention this year last week. A lot of cheese and cake was consumed – it is a carb-heavy area, it seems. But it was food security and resilience that was on the top of everyone’s minds at the show, which was themed, “European Dairy: Local Roots and Global Competitiveness.” As one of the world’s largest dairy producers and exporters, the EU, with its 440 million population, has to keep a keen eye on both its smaller producers and its larger markets.

Kort Verkerk, director of public affairs at Royal FrieslandCampina, and is now the association’s new president. He opened proceedings by noting, “If Europe sees the dairy sector as part of its security, it must ensure that local commitment and international ambitions are not opposite. Farmers can invest should not have to choose between local roots and global reach. Quality, innovation and trust must remain part of our future. If investment slows or markets become harder to reach, there can be no food security without production, and there will be no viable countryside without economic activity.” He called for innovation in open and fair markets globally.

Marian Zolty, the president of the Slovakian Dairy Association, warned about another issue with dairy – labelling, where dairy products land into the same category as less healthy ultra processed foods on guidelines, such as soft drinks and crisps. Labels and social media can be careless of all the nutrition dairy offers, he noted.

Richard Takáč, minister of agricultural and rural development of Slovak Republic, also warned that food security in the EU is not given the same status as other industries, such as automotive and energy supply. Thus, reducing the Common Agricultural Policy payments should be reconsidered. “Whether Europe has fewer cars or not is not as important to me, as whether or not we have food security,” he commented.

It was all a lot to digest, and we will be publishing a full account of the convention in our November/December issue. Don’t miss it!