Sustainable food challenge at the core of IDF dairy summit
The 2011 IDF World Dairy Summit, will encourage organizations, companies, communities and individuals to actively address the challenges of achieving a more sustainable path to global food security.
The IDF World Dairy Summit has become a major meeting platform for the global dairy sector and is on the agenda of chief executives and senior management representatives worldwide. The 2011 edition will take place in Parma, Italy from 15 to 19 October.
Sustainability will be a key element of all WDS2011 sessions. Kicking off the environment conference on 16 October, The World Dairy Leaders’ Forum will focus on the trends, changes and challenges taking place in the market place and the implications for industry players. CEOs from across the industry supply chain will discuss the strategies and rationale for their business in a panel discussion.
Among the topics to be discussed will be all aspects of sustainability and food security, from the perspective of institutions, producers, consumers and all industry stakeholders, in order to gain a better understanding of the future needs and expectations of the agricultural sector and to put forward proposals ensuring agricultural sustainability. "The global dairy sector is steadily improving its efficiency and is expected to be a major factor in the world’s future economical development. However, in order to be sustainable, this sector needs to become adapted in ways that are consistent with the increasing consumer demands for the highest standards in food safety and animal care as well as for environmental stewardship." commented Richard Doyle, IDF President.
Following up on the Summit theme, a Global Dairy Roundtable on Supply Chain Issues will provide delegates with an in-depth understanding of several key issues, including the Global Dairy Agenda for Action and major initiatives aiming towards a more sustainable dairy industry worldwide. The session will touch on a range of topics such as climate change, food security and population growth, agriculture in a globalized economy, etc…
IDF and the global dairy sector recognize the seriousness of the environmental challenges and through initiatives such as the Global Dairy Agenda for Action (GDAA), they are moving forwards with concrete programmes providing tangible results.
During the week of WDS2011, the first reporting session "Real Achievements for a More Sustainable Dairy Sector: the Global Dairy Agenda for Action" will showcase the dairy industry’s initiatives to meet its voluntary commitments under the GDAA. This major session will review the sector’s initial commitments which are embedded in the Declaration on the Global Dairy Agenda for Action and the supporting Green Paper.
The Global Dairy Agenda for Action is a living initiative developed by six major dairy organizations representing members throughout the milk supply chain worldwide. Endorsed in 2009, its goal is to demonstrate the dairy sector’s global commitment to making major reductions in Greenhouse Gas emissions across the dairy supply chain in order to enhance the sustainability of producing milk and dairy products.
The Summit programme will present pioneering work in innovative analytical strategies, novel technologies for sustainable dairy products, animal feeding strategies, prudent use of antimicrobial agents and also in the field of health-economics.
