The European Dairy Association’s (EDA) Annual Conference 2018 in Dublin Castle was officially opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed today, Thursday, November 15.
The European Dairy Association is the representative body for the European milk processing industry.
This year’s annual conference is being hosted by Dairy Industry Ireland, the representative body for primary and secondary processors in Ireland.
The event officially runs from November 15 – 17 and the theme of the EDA annual conference for 2018 is ‘A Green Future for European Dairy’.
Whilst acknowledging the positive sentiment for the European dairy market reflected in the EU Commission’s short-term outlook for Agricultural Markets, Minister Creed welcomed the focus the conference was bringing to meeting some of the challenges facing the European dairy industry.
Managing volatility and other risks is a complex issue, for processors no less than for farmers, and there is no single solution.
“However, I do believe that consolidation is one option which needs to be seriously considered to ensure the future resilience of the Irish dairy sector as a whole.“
Concluding, Minister Creed said: “I am confident in the contents of the program of this year’s conference which includes issues such as dealing with price volatility, the environmental and welfare impact of dairying, as well as the potential for dairy ingredients.
“These will enable the European dairy industry to avail of the opportunities afforded it by the high standards to which the European Dairy Industry operates.”