IDM ¦ Column
EDA Dairy Policy
Conference 2022
The New Policy Framework for European Dairy
48 · March/April 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
the Middle East. Ukraine itself is now also facing an emergency
situation, as the fields of this country cannot be cultivated or can
only be cultivated insufficiently. "We may have to supply Ukraine
as well," the EU official said. In addition to energy imports, the
EU's dependence on feed and fertiliser from Eastern Europe is also
a problem. But the EU entered the crisis from a strong position,
and the benefits of the CAP, especially for food security, have now
been proven, Scannell said. The overall goal now must be to reduce
the EU's dependence on fossil fuels. The Green Deal is not a
contradiction to overcoming the crisis, said Scannell, who is convinced
that EU food & dairy will master both challenges.
The EU Commission has set up a Food Security Crisis Committee
and will adopt a package of measures to address the crisis on
23 March 2022. Brussels will make funds available to the member
states, which are to increase them nationally to support the most
affected sectors and increase the production of feed and food.
Milk, however, is not a priority here in view of the current milk
prices.
The crisis in markets and energy supply triggered by the
Ukraine war is no reason to neglect sustainability efforts.
"Now is not the time to pause," said Michael Scannell, Director
for Markets & Observatory at DG Agri, in a welcome
address at the Dairy Policy Conference of EDA (European
Dairy Association) in Brussels on 15 March.
The conference, which was attended by 130 live and 60 online
participants, was held under the motto "The New Policy Framework
for European Dairy". The importance of the food and dairy
sector, emphasised EDA President Giuseppe Ambrosi, has become
much more prominent with the Ukraine crisis. In fact, the European
dairy industry has a global leadership role to play in ensuring
food security at a reasonable price. The crisis triggered by Putin
should not be a reason to abandon the path towards a 100%
sustainable dairy industry, Ambrosi stressed.
The Ukraine war has global consequences, explained Scannell,
particularly with regard to the supply of wheat to North Africa and
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