Representatives of the Irish Dairy Sector endorsed the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam at the Teagasc Moorepark Open Day. The Dairy Declaration was signed in Rotterdam in October 2016 by the International Dairy Federation and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. The Rotterdam declaration is a commitment to the sustainable development of the dairy industry by the stakeholders involved in the global dairy sector. The declaration recognises the importance of the UN agenda for sustainable development, the role of dairy in delivering global food security, poverty reduction and employment for family farms and small holdings. Further, the declaration recognises the essential role of dairy products for balanced, nutritious and healthy diets. It also recognises the importance of addressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and retaining diversity in terms of production systems and dairy cattle breeds.

The Dairy Declaration can be viewed at the following link: http://www.idfwds2016.com/promotion-video/declaration-of-rotterdam/

By Eamonn Farrell

Agri Food Policy Executive