The World Dairy Summit in Paris showed a notable shift towards working together to face sector challenges, reports Samantha Tennent.
It was a full-on week of dairy action in Paris last month. Sector leaders from all over the world, from all facets of the dairy supply chain, congregated to talk all things dairy.
The central event was the International Dairy Federation (IDF) World Dairy Summit. Others, including the Global Dairy Platform (GDP) annual meeting, were tied in alongside.
About 18 of us from New Zealand attended, including notable dairy leaders such as Richard McIntyre, the Federated Farmers dairy chair, and Kylie Leonard, a Fonterra co-operative councillor.
We had opportunities to visit farms, attend business meetings to discuss challenges and opportunities, listen to presentations and panel discussions, and network with as many dairy-passionate people as possible. And of course, we ate an abundance of cheese and drank superb champagne.
Events like these allow various sector stakeholders to share challenges and discuss how they have been working to overcome them, and what has and hasn’t worked. And of course, provide some insight into what may be coming.
Many of the presentations and discussions highlighted a notable shift toward collaboration. Speaking with long-time summit attendees, it was clear that this year emphasised the importance of working together to protect and support farmers across the entire value chain.
Leonard was particularly pleased with the recurring emphasis on financial sustainability, highlighting that farming must be financially viable to ensure global food production, particularly as we continued to hear the value of dairy as a food, nutritionally, economically, socially and environmentally.
The IFCN presented some stark realities through future heat maps, highlighting potential challenges for food production in certain regions. Milk production, in particular, may face significant hurdles due to heat stress and its impact on animal welfare.
Kimberley Crewther from DCANZ made a timely point for us here in New Zealand, highlighting the biosecurity and animal disease challenges other countries are facing. For example, Europe is grappling with blue tongue, while the United States is dealing with bird flu. This is especially relevant as our Biosecurity Act is currently under review.
In a discussion with McIntyre, he assured me that New Zealand farmers can have peace of mind knowing that our sector leaders are attending these events. This helps them understand what is happening globally, what changes might be on the horizon, and what considerations we may need to make.
A lot was happening and there was a lot of information to absorb. When I attended my first international agricultural conference back in 2019, I realised that no matter where in the world you are or what farming systems are used, the fundamental challenges remain the same.
It was summed up well by an analogy I picked up from a US dairy farmer, Mary Kraft: “Farming is like a game of poker – everyone has their hand, and they have to make the most of the cards they’re dealt.”
Next year the IDF World Dairy Summit is in Chile and New Zealand is hosting in November 2026. Keep an eye out for more content closer to the event.
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