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T h e l a t e s t n e w s a b o u t t h e w o r l d o f d a i r y

21 June 2017

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EDA vice chair Claude Steinmetz at

EU – China SMEs matchmaking event

“This was a very fruitful meeting, highlighting our

dairy interests and ambitions in China as well as the

EU definition of SMEs, which is right now under

revision“, stated EDA vice chair Claude Steinmetz

(Luxlait).

Over 100 EU legislative acts refer to the EU

definition of SMEs (small and medium-sized

enterprises) that has been defined back in 2003 (➤

link). “I consider that there is an inappropriate

threshold in this definition: the financial criteria of a

turnover of less than 50 mio euros translates for

industries with high input/raw material costs like the

dairy sector to an exclusion of dairies from the SME

definition”, added Claude Steinmetz.

The EU Commission has launched a public

consultation on the revision of the SME definition

(➤ link) to which EDA will share its EU position.

EDA vice chair Claude Steinmetz (Luxlait) at EU – China

SMEs matchmaking event in Brussels

FeNIL exchange with EDA chair

Michel Nalet

Early June, EDA chair Michel Nalet exchanged

with the Board members of our Spanish member

association FeNIL.

Besides the future of the CAP and our EDA

approach with regards to the Brexit dossier, the

EDA Annual

Convention

2017

The EDA Annual Convention 2017 will take

place in Stockholm (Sweden) from 28 to 30

September 2017, under the headline of

‘European Dairy: Global Business & Local

Roots’, with confirmed key note speaker EU

Commissioner for Trade, Ms. Cecilia

Malmström.

Early bird registrations open until

30 June 2017 !

Register Now

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discussion focussed on national mandatory origin

labelling schemes across Europe and the best ways

for dairy to deal with national added sugar

reduction plans.

Michel Nalet used this opportunity to thank FeNIL

for the great support and congratulate their

secretary general Luis Calabozo for his new role

as chair of the EDA CAP task force. See FeNIL’s

press release on the event (➤ link).

FeNIL chair Javier Roza, EDA chair Michel Nalet, EDA

Board member Antoni Bandres, EDA secretary general

Alexander Anton & FENIL secretary general Luis

Calabozo

“Over 60% of our costs are milk

costs, and over 60% of those milk

costs are feed costs”

At the European Feed Manufacturers' Federation

(FEFAC ➤ link) conference in Córdoba (Spain),

EDA chair Michel Nalet highlighted the strong

cooperation between FEFAC and EDA like in the

PEF (Product Environmental Footprint project).

“When we talk about sustainability at milk sourcing

level, the feed sector is crucial in all three pillars:

economically, environmentally and socially, if you

think about animal health and welfare”. He also

stressed the need to recognise the role of pasture

land for the European agriculture: “The CAP and

the public support of agriculture must take into

account the role of pasture land, especially

permanent pasture land in terms of biodiversity and

carbon sequestration”.

“When talking to the feed industry, I cannot resist to

underline the importance of roughage like pasture,

green forage or silage for dairy. This type of fodder

is an important source of protein for dairy cows”,

concluded Michel Nalet.

EU Commissioner Phil Hogan on

the future of the CAP

EU Commissioner Phil Hogan underlined the

need for a CAP reform at the FEFAC conference

in Cordoba: “The CAP needs to do more to assist

broader EU challenges and commitments such as

the SDGs, the COP 21 climate agreement,

migration, security and Brexit”. See EU

Commissioner Phil Hogan’s speech ➤ link.

EU Commissionner Phil Hogan with newly elected

FEFAC chair Nick Major

EDA_Dairy‏ @EDA_Dairy Jun 8

EDA chair @mnalet discussing with

Spanish Minister of #Agriculture Ms

Isabel Garcia Tejerina @mapamagob

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be used by vegetable imitation products. Even in

explaining the difference on the packaging, those

plant-based products are not allowed to misuse

our dairy terms for marketing their products.

“This is a good day for dairy, a good day for

European citizens and a good day for Europe”. Our

EDA statement was broadly echoed in the press

and we will continue to strongly voice our position

in the future. Last week, we had to complain with

an official EU agency misusing the term ‘whey’ in a

publication for a plant-based product.

15th Dairy Cooperatives Forum

18-20 October 2017, Poland

The Dairy Cooperatives Forum (DCF) is the biggest

dairy conference in Central and Eastern Europe.

This year, a high-level panel will include the

presence of EU Commissioner Phil Hogan,

Director-General in DG AGRI Jerzy Plewa,

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of

Republic of Poland Krzysztof Jurgiel and EDA

chair Michel Nalet. Registrations for the 15th Dairy

Cooperatives Forum will be open as from 30 June

2017 (➤ link).

Dairy Highlights ahead. . .

July

● Fri 07: The CAP: Have your say - EU

Commission’s conference presenting the results from

the consultation on the future of the common

agricultural policy (CAP) │ Brussels (BE)

● Mon 17 - Tue 18: Agriculture and Fisheries

Council │ Brussels (BE)

Brexit and the future EU-

UK dairy framework

“Whatever the outcome of the Brexit

negotiations, the UK will become a third country

and, thus, will no longer participate in the

internal market. Business should take all the

necessary steps to prepare for this scenario”,

stated EU Commissioner Phil Hogan in his

FEFAC speech on 08 June 2017.

At the EWPA open session in London, last

Friday, Tom Tynan (EU Commissioner Phil

Hogan’s cabinet), Michel Nalet (Lactalis),

Andrew Slade (Agriculture, Food and Marine

Group at Welsh Government) and Chris

Walkland (Agricultural Journalist) debated on

#BREXIT issues from a dairy perspective.

EDA vice chair Kasper Thormod Nielsen

(Arla Foods) will outline today the state of

internal reflections within EDA at the DairyUK

conference in London.

European Court of Justice highlights

the importance of the dairy terms’

protection

“The unique and natural blend of micro- and

macronutrients of milk and dairy products cannot be

matched by any plant-based products”. The ruling

of the European Court of Justice in the case C422-

16 protects European consumers: dairy terms like

‘milk’, ‘butter’, ‘whey’, ‘cheese’ or ‘yoghurt’ cannot

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