The Netherlands endorses the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam

Representatives of the Dutch Dairy Association (NZO), the Dutch Federation of Agriculture and Horticulture (LTO Nederland), the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Wageningen University & Research endorsed the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam during a meeting in The Hague on 12 June.

With this the statement, which the International Dairy Federation (IDF) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed together during the IDF World Dairy Summit held in Rotterdam in October 2016, was supported in the Netherlands at a national level as well.

The Dairy Declaration acknowledges the worldwide importance of the dairy sector. After all, dairy plays an important role as an essential part of a well-balanced diet, as motor for employment and as a source of income for about a billion people. Besides, dairy particularly offers women in many countries the chance to strengthen their positions. The dairy sector uses natural resources such as land, water, nutrients and energy and plays a key role in agricultural land management.

The declaration underlines the major importance of sustainable development and the critical role that dairy plays here in social, economic, ecological and health aspects. It also recognises the fact that the global dairy sector is facing a number of challenges, for instance in the areas of environmental impact and the emission of greenhouse gases. By subscribing to the Dairy Declaration, the dairy sector commits itself to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, as formulated in the UN Agenda 2030.

The Dairy Declaration calls on to further awareness with respect to the fundamental importance of sustainability. By endorsing the Dairy Declaration, the various stakeholders in the dairy chain acknowledge this importance and they take up the challenge to keep working together on sustainable solutions.

Additional information about the Declaration of Rotterdam and the possibility to also endorse this declaration individually are to be found through www.dairydeclaration.org.