Dairy Council for Northern Ireland (DCNI) chief executive, Ian Stevenson has confirmed he will attend the World Dairy Summit 2025.
The event takes place in Chile on October 20-23, under the theme ‘Nourishing a Sustainable World’.
It will be attended by international policymakers in tandem with representatives from the world’s leading milk processing organisations and dairy farming bodies.
Stevenson commented: “The summit is an event not to be missed for representatives working at every level of the global dairy network.
“Unlike the world’s foremost food exhibitions, including the likes of Anuga and Sial, those attending the summit are not there competing for business, but to discuss the critical issues that will shape dairy both now and into the future.
“The event is an opportunity for international dairy sector leaders – from farmers and processors to analysts and scientists, to marketers and industry professionals – to come together within a non-competitive space, one that allows them to freely network and learn from each other in a spirit of mutual co-operation.
“It is a win-win scenario for everyone,” Stevenson added.
While in Chile, the DCNI representative will also participate in meetings of the International Dairy Federation (IDF) standing committee on marketing and the International Milk Promotion (IMP) Group, which is celebrating 60 years of operation in 2025.
Stevenson said: “The theme chosen for the summit is both timely and appropriate, given the challenges facing a growing world population and the accompanying development of fit-for-purpose agri-food production systems.
“Communicating the benefits of dairy as part of a healthy, balanced diet is particularly important in this regard.”
Chilean dairy
The selection of Chile as the host location for the 2025 Global Dairy Summit will resonate with Northern Ireland’s dairy sector in terms of scale.
The country is home to 6,000 milk producers, producing some 2.2 billion litres of milk annually from 500,000 dairy cows.
Stevenson said the Chilean dairy sector “comprises widely contrasting component parts”, noting that while the average milk yield per cow is just short of 4,500L, Chile is home to the largest robotic dairy farm in the world, where 5,800 cows are milked by 90 robots.
Another point of significance, according to Stevenson, is the ongoing efforts being made by the Chilean milk sector to boost dairy consumption levels.
Chile has a population of some 20 million people. A large proportion of the milk produced in the country is consumed on the home market, with “yogurts of all flavours performing well among consumers”.
The work of the Chilean Dairy Consortium takes place against the backdrop of large sections within the country’s population perceiving themselves to be lactose intolerant, the DCNI chief executive said.
Stevenson noted: “This year’s event takes place 12 months after the signing of the Paris Dairy Declaration on Sustainability – the culmination of the 2024 World Dairy Summit.
“The agreement is centred on the outworking of five main themes. These are: climate change, nutrition, health, economic security, and the effective stewardship of natural resources.
“Day One of the 2025 summit will provide delegates with an opportunity to assess how progress has been made in terms of addressing these priorities and what work will be required into the future.”
