Meeting increased demand for dairy products will require environmental credentials to be demonstrated to ever demanding consumers according to Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.

He said that everyone within the industry had a role to play in ensuring a clear commitment to the environment and to demonstrate the environmental merit of European dairy production.

His comments came during an opening address of the European Dairy Conference 2018 in Dublin. He acknowledged the positive short-term outlook for dairy markets but welcomed the focus on meeting some of the challenges facing the European dairy industry.

“Perhaps the biggest challenge for the dairy industry is reflected in the overall theme of this year’s conference: 'A Green Future for European Dairy',” Minister Creed said.

Consolidation

Minister Creed also referenced competitiveness during his speech.

One of Food Wise 2025 recommendations to improve cost efficiency is through consolidation. It hopes that increased consolidation would optimise costs and investment which could enable the dairy industry to manage risk and volatility.

Minister Creed said: “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.”

Animal welfare

He urged those attending the conference to deal with issues such as animal welfare concerns in a clear and factual manner.

He said it was important to ensure consumer demands and standards around welfare were met.

“As consumers evolve from generation to generation so too do their demands in terms of the standards they require from their food producers.

"An increasing focus on animal welfare by consumers and other interest groups must be met with a clear factual demonstration of the high welfare standards in the European dairy industry,” he said.