Firstly, I would like to thank the members who attended the Global Dairy Platform Annual Meeting in Dublin last month, and for the subsequent feedback it generated. If you were unable to attend, the meeting’s presentations and video footage are on the GDP website in the members-only section. There also is an article about the meeting in this newsletter. We welcome any further feedback you may have.

The feedback to date has been encouraging. I’m also hearing that it is important for GDP not to dissipate resources among too many projects. In addition, there appear to be some differences in opinion as to what the key issue really is.

Three Areas of Cooperation

Since our aim has been to support the work of the International Dairy Federation, it is particularly pleasing to report on three joint activities of GDP and IDF, following the Dublin meeting.

Firstly, there is agreement with the planners of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation/World Health Organisation to update their document, “Fats and Oils for Human Consumption”. GDP and IDF will work together to prepare the industry input to this document for the WHO. To begin, GDP and IDF will hold a joint symposia in Geneva in the spring 2008. Feeding into this will be the work GDP already completed in 2007 that reviews the state of milkfat research.

Secondly, GDP and IDF have agreed to provide shared access to a database that GDP will launch next year containing the rules related to dairy claims in different markets.

Finally, GDP has agreed to work with the IDF Standing Committee on Marketing to provide a methodology to harmonise generic consumer data in markets around the world

(See related articles in this newsletter issue on these three initiatives).

Changes in the GDP Board

In the final months of 2007, it is important to recognise the contributions of two members of the GDP Board of Directors who are stepping down at the end of the year. They are Don Schriver of Dairy Farmers of America, and Michael Stevns, originally of Arla Foods, who is now the CEO at the Danish Dairy Board. Both have made major contributions to the establishment of GDP, with Michael serving as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and Don serving for a period of time as GDP Executive Director. Our thanks go to both of them. Succeeding them on the Board of Directors will be Anne With Damgaard of Arla Foods and Jay Waldvogel, representing Dairy Farmers of America.

As we approach the end of a very busy and productive year, I look forward to working closely with you on our exciting new initiatives in 2008.

Kevin Bellamy
Global Dairy Platform Executive Director