Canadian dairy organization joins international sustainability group
EDMONTON — Dairy Farmers of Canada has joined a group of countries in signing the Rotterdam Declaration, an international statement on sustainability.
Initiated by the International Dairy Federation, the position paper was released last year during its annual meeting in the Netherlands. The federation has 45 member countries.
“Our vision is to help to nourish the world with safe and sustainable dairy products,” said Judith Bryans, president of the federation and chief executive officer of Dairy U.K. based in London.
Read Also

Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
The organization promotes the dairy industry, encourages good animal welfare, responsible antimicrobial use, sound environmental care and the nutritional value of dairy products.
“The opportunity and challenge is we have to feed a growing population with a limited resource,” Bryans said at the Dairy Farmers of Canada annual meeting in Edmonton held July 18-19.
“There are a lot of dairy detractors and we have to constantly talk about our nutritional benefits.
“Nutrition isn’t about having the best to keep you healthy. It is about not killing yourself with a fork. That’s what it is for regulators anyway.”
The United Nations has challenged governments to control climate change and set targets to protect the environment. Dairy must be part of that, she said.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and China, Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Israel and France have also signed the declaration, which may be seen at www.dairydeclaration.org.
Campaign touts milk benefits to physicians
EDMONTON — Dairy farmers are working harder to remind Canadians that milk is still part of a healthy diet.
Besides an active media campaign, representatives from Dairy Farmers of Canada are hoping to visit 20,000 Canadian physicians to improve their attitudes toward dairy products and no longer discourage consumption among patients.
They usually get no more than five minutes of a family physicians’ time to deliver the message about dairy consumption, but they hope to reach 20,000 by 2020 with three visits each. So far about 7,500 have been contacted.
“We know it is having an impact because we have feedback from the reps that are visiting the physicians,” said dietitian Isabelle Neiderer of Dairy Farmers of Canada..
“There is a much higher percentage of physicians who are now favourable toward milk products.”
A new nutrition campaign to be launched in September promotes the benefits of milk to encourage adults to increase their consumption of milk to keep them strong.
“The health benefits most susceptible to today’s consumers is about building repairing bones, muscle and body tissue,” she said at the organization’s annual meeting held in Edmonton July 18-19.
“More and more being strong is considered a key element in a healthy, active lifestyle. It is an important trend that has come up in recent years.”
They are targeting men and women in the 24 to 54 age group and realize people are busy and may have a different perception about what strength means.
For many, being strong means getting more things done so they have enough energy left to get more out of life, said Neiderer.