February 1, 2011

UK's dairy industry, considered the most conscientious to sustainability issues in all agricultural areas, discussed its progress rate in environmental concerns at a conference in London organised by Dairy UK.

The international conference was attended by nutritionists, environmentalists, NGOs and dairy sector representatives.

Conference chairman Richard Laxton welcomed recognition of the significant progress being made by UK's dairy industry, adding that that there was agreement between the stakeholders on a number of themes. At the same time, he emphasised the need for everyone in the supply chain, NGOs and government, to work together.

He said: "It is clear that the door is open for such dialogue".

Dairy UK Director General Jim Begg added: "Today's conference has clearly demonstrated that, as an industry, we stand up to scrutiny. Of course, all food production has some environmental impact, but there is clear evidence that the dairy industry works extremely hard to deal with this.

"The issue is the same in all countries. It is all down to how progressive the industry in that country is and what it is prepared to do."

Dr Judith Bryans, Director of The Dairy Council, said "Dairy foods are nutrient rich and have a lower environmental cost than people think. Policies aimed at reducing Green House Gas emissions from food consumption must take their nutritional value into consideration".