IDFA welcomed representatives from the European Dairy Association to its office in Washington, D.C., this week to discuss the landscape of the American dairy processing sector and its biggest issues and opportunities, as well as to discuss common issues dairy industries face around the globe.

“IDFA continually seeks opportunities to engage with our international dairy counterparts to work together on common issues, of which there are many,” said Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO. “It was encouraging to hear the delegates support our efforts on some of our most pressing issues and to discover other ways our organizations can collaborate to better our industry.”

 Delegates present were Judith Bryans, Dairy UK and the International Dairy Federation; Kirsten Svendsen, Danish Dairy Board; Gérard Calbrix, Association of French Dairy Processors; Jörg Rieke, Association of the German Dairy Industry; Björn Börgermann, Association of the German Dairy Industry; Conor Mulvihill, Dairy Industry Ireland; and Bénédicte Masure, European Dairy Association.

Joining Dykes in the meeting was Heather Soubra, chief of staff; Dave Carlin, senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy; Cary Frye, senior vice president of regulatory affairs; Tony Eberhard, vice president, legislative affairs; Beth Hughes, director of international affairs; and John Allan, vice president, regulatory and international standards.

Most importantly, the delegates expressed their support of IDFA’s calls to address Canada’s controversial Class 7 pricing program that allows the country to dump skim milk powder products on the world market.

IDFA staff provided delegates with an overview of the current U.S. dairy industry situation, including key market trends and underlying drivers of change. They included updates on the Trump administration’s priorities for agriculture and trade, as well as Congress’ build-up to the farm bill. 

The group also discussed the milk supply in U.S. and European markets, as well as factors affecting production and prices. They touched on the 2015 decision by the European Commission to end milk price quotas, which previously set limits on the amount of milk that was sold in the EU. Shared concerns over anti-industry efforts by the United Nations’ World Health Organization were also discussed. 

For more information, contact Soubra at hsoubra@idfa.org.