IDM | EDA Column
EDA/ASSIFONTE
Annual Convention 2017
28–30 September, Stockholm
The European Dairy Association (EDA), ASSIFONTE and LRF Dairy Sweden,
invite you to join the EDA/ASSIFONTE Annual Convention 2017,
held in Stockholm (Sweden), under the headline ‘European Dairy:
Local Roots & Global Business’.
The European Dairy Platform, flagship event
of the Annual Convention, will be THE opportunity
to dive into a high-level discussion on
our dairy industry, on Friday 29 September.
Swedish Secretary of State, Elisabeth Backteman,
has accepted our invitation to outline
for us the ‘National Food Strategy for Sweden’
that was approved this summer. The Swedish
government has set up a national strategy for
more jobs and sustainable growth of the Swedish
food sector based on two pillars: productivity
and sustainability.
‘Local Roots for
Global Dairy: policy and
competitiveness’
The first session chaired by the Director of the
Milk department of the German Farmers’ Association
(DBV), Ludwig Börger, will offer a unique
opportunity to exchange on the future of dairy
and food in a European context, along a concrete
national strategy.
Annette van Velde (a Dutch dairy farmer and
member of the Council of the European Dairy
Farmers) will highlight how dairy farmers can
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adapt to the national policy frameworks, while
Thomas Magnusson (Chair of COGECA) will share
his insight from a EU perspective and the president
of the Young Farmers Association (CEJA),
Jannes Maes, will make sure that we keep on
track for the future of farming.
‘Global Trade for Global
Dairy’
The international trade landscape has changed
tremendously over the past years. For the European
dairy industry, international trade is –
besides the EU Single Market – the key for continuing
our success story in the future. In times
of a high level of geopolitical variables, continued
European leadership is paramount for dairy, for
Europe and for the global community.
In the session moderated by Catherine Paice
(Dairy Industry Newsletter, UK), we are proud to
have EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, the
global leader in trade policy. With her ‘Trade for
All’ strategy, EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström
cleared the path for an ambitious EU trade policy,
and positioned the EU in a leadership role. Her
commitment to trade and to its capacity to deliver
real economic results and value for all trading
partners created a new dynamic in trade policies
and negotiations. EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström
will discuss our trade issues and ambitions
with CEOs from all over Europe: Annikka Hurme
(CEO Valio), Peder Tuborgh (CEO Arla Foods), Ingo
Müller (CEO Deutsches Milchkontor – DMK) and
Bernard Ducros (President Europe, Danone).
"Sustainable dairy:
challenges and commercial
opportunities"
Our third session will be moderated by Anna-Karin
Modin Edman (Sustainability Manager, Arla Foods)
and will offer a platform to discuss the most important
positive environmental impacts and the
most pressing environmental challenges of EU
dairy production, answering the question: ‘how
do companies in the dairy value chain meet these
challenges and turn them into business?’.
The scientific perspective will be given by Dr.
Joan Reijs (Senior researcher in sustainable dairy
production at Wageningen University), focusing
on environmental opportunities and challenges
for EU dairy production and proposing what to fo