IDF and FAO sign Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam at summit

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) strategic objectives are to make agriculture, forestry and fishery more productive and sustainable. Central to its efforts is achieving food security - to ensure people have regular access to high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.

Signing the document were FAO assistant director general Ren Wang, and outgoing IDF president Jeremy Hill.

At the ceremony, Wang and Hill were joined on stage by representatives of the global dairy sector:
Dairy Asia - Vinod Ahuja; Indian National Dairy Development Board - Dilip Rath; Fonterra - Jacqueline Chow; Kenyan farmer Caroline Njeri Gathogo from Kenya; and FrieslandCampina - Roelof Joosten.

Each spoke on the importance of dairy, and of the signing of the Dairy Declaration.

Video messages were played to the audience for the North and South American sectors.

FAO SDGs​

In accepting the sustainability challenge, the IDF noted that it was committed to the FAO’s 17 global sustainable development goals​ (SDGs).

The IDF noted that the links between the dairy sector, people and the planet are multiple and all-encompassing, stating that investments that promote a sustainable development of the livestock industry can contribute towards several SDGs.

Wang, addressing the audience at the summit event, spoke of the importance of transformative change, and the key word of commitment.

“That is what FAO is here for. And that is why FAO believes that we are honored and pleased to jointly sign this declaration.”​

Importance of dairy taking the lead

He said that it was important to make a joint commitment towards achieving SDGs.

“We believe to achieve this, you need a multi-stakeholder approach. Not only the 193 member country governments, but also the private sector, NGOs, farmers and the dairy producers.”​

Hill said that the very nature of what IDF does has always been multi-stakeholder.

“We recognized from the outset that that’s the way that you need to make progress on important agenda items, and so I’d say this was a natural extension of what we do.​

“Why dairy? One billion people, one billion hectares, and the number one agricultural sector by value. If we don’t take the lead, who will?”​  

Addressing SDGs

The IDF noted that the dairy sector directly and indirectly supports the livelihoods of 150m farmers. It also generates employment opportunities along the value chain, which not only represent a major pathway out of poverty (SDG1)​ but also contributes to full and productive employment and decent work for all (SDG 8)​ and to reduce inequality (SDG10).​

The dairy industry can work towards ending hunger and achieving food security (SDG2)​ and contribute to healthy lives (SDG3)​, because of the important role of milk in the provision of energy, protein and micronutrients and through investments that reduce the negative impact of the dairy industry on public health.

As women play a key role in the dairy sector, achieving gender equality (SDG5)​ is also connected to the dairy industry, it was noted.

Other SDGs the dairy industry can address include promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG 12)​, combatting climate change (SDG13)​, protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems including biodiversity (SDG 15)​ and the sustainable management of water and sanitation (SDG 6)​ through the adoption of best practices, many of which have been proved effective in different contexts, the IDF says.

The connections between the dairy industry, people and the planet are complex and multifaceted, the IDF stated. Collective and concerted action through multi-stakeholder processes and integrated approaches are therefore needed for formulating and implementing sustainable investments and policies, consistently with SDG 17​.

A special website​ has been dedicated to the declaration.