European Dairy Association

The European Dairy Association (EDA) is the trade association representing the milk processing industry in the European Union, including both cooperative and private dairies. Registered as an international non-profit association under Belgian law (AISBL),[1] it brings together national federations of dairy processing companies across Europe. The EDA represents the sector's interests and engages in advocacy with the European institutions. It is listed in the EU Transparency Register under number 42967152383-63[2]. Its headquarters are located in the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium.

History

EDA was established in 1995, following the merger of several national dairy associations, including ASSILEC,[3][4] its predecessor organisation. Its founding members were the national federations representing the dairy industry in the 15 original Member States of the European Union (EU-15).

Since its inception, the EDA has evolved alongside the enlargement of the European Union and the deepening of EU policies. Today, it comprises 22 national organisations that represent the interests of dairy processors across all 27 EU countries, supported by the active involvement of numerous European stakeholders in the sector.

In terms of governance, Michel Nalet (Lactalis, France) was elected President of the EDA in 2012,[5][6] followed by Giuseppe Ambrosi (CEO of Ambrosi SpA, Italy) in March 2021, and Albert de Groot (Vreugdenhil, Netherlands) in March 2025. Since 2013, the position of Secretary General has been held by Alexander Anton.[7]

Action

The EDA represents the priorities of the dairy processing industry at the EU level and seeks to influence European strategies through lobbying. Acting on behalf of, and in close cooperation with its members (national dairy associations), the association acts and interacts with international and EU institutions,[8] non-governmental organisations, international media and other stakeholders (Codex Alimentarius, World Trade Organization).[9][10]

EDA is registered in the lobbies register, also known as the transparency register, under the number 42967152383-63. Since the creation of the European Commission's Milk Market Observatory (MMO) on 16 April 2014, EDA has been a member of this observatory.[11]

Since 2014, its headquarters have been located in the European Quarter in Brussels, near the Robert Schuman roundabout and the European Commission's Berlaymont building.

Organisation

EDA is governed by a Board of Directors, elected every two years by the General Assembly, with one representative from each member organisation. The operational management is overseen by the Secretary General, Alexander Anton,[12] and the Secretariat based in Brussels. The EDA is structured into two departments: Trade and Economics, and Food, Environment and Health.

Within these departments, several working groups focus on specific sectors and topics such as the Common Agricultural Policy,[13] market management,[14] competitiveness,[15] reform of the school milk scheme,[16] protection of dairy designations, communication on the nutritional benefits of dairy products,[17] inclusion of the dairy sector in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and waste management.[18]

The association maintains close contact with DG AGRI ("the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development") , DG SANTE, and DG GROW. Civil dialogue groups facilitate regular communication with the European Commission on all matters related to the Common Agricultural Policy, including rural development and its implementation.[19]

The European Dairy Association (EDA) holds its Annual General Meeting. The last Annual General Meeting was held in November 2024 in Rome (Italy)[20], and the next will be held in November 2025 in Utrecht.

Presidents

Term of office President
1995-1998 Fin Christiansen (DK)
1998-1999 Luc Morelon (FR)
1999-2004 Robert Brzusczak (BE)
2004-2008 Veijo Merilainen (FI)
2008-2012 Werner Buck (NL)
2012-2021 Michel Nalet (FR)
2021-2025 Giuseppe Ambrosi (IT)
2025-today Albert de Groot (NL)
Term of office Secretary General
1995-2002 Antoon. J van de Ven (NL)
2002-2013 Johan Kleibeuker (NL)
2013-Today Alexander Anton[21] (FR/DE)

Membership

The membership of the European Dairy Association (EDA) is composed of the national dairy associations representing the national dairy processors (private companies and cooperatives).

  • Austria: Vereinigung Osterreichischer Milchverarbeiter (VÖM)
  • Belgium: Confédération belge de l'industrie laitière (CBL)
  • Germany: Milchindustrie-Verband (MIV)
  • France: Association de la production laitière (ATLA)
  • Czech Republic: Czech Moravian
  • Denmark: Mejeriforeningen
  • Estonia: Eesti Piimaliit
  • Finland: Finnish Milk Processors and Dairy
  • Greece: SEVGAP (Hellenic Association of Milk and Dairy Products Industry)
  • Ireland: Irish Dairy Industries Association (IDIA)
  • Italy: ASSOLATTE
  • Luxembourg: Association laitière Luxembourgeoise (A.L.L)
  • Netherlands: Nederlandse Zuivel Organisatie (NZO)
  • Poland: Zwiazek Polskich Przetworcow Mlka (ZPPM)
  • Portugal: Federaçao Nacional das Cooperativas de Productores de Leite (FENALAC)
  • Slovenia: Slovene Dairy association
  • Spain: Federacion National de Industrias Lacteas (FENIL)
  • Sweden: Federacion of Swedish Farmers

The EDA is a member of the EU umbrella organisation FoodDrinkEurope.[22]

References

  1. ^ "AISBL | Service public federal Justice". justice.belgium.be. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  2. ^ "organisation detail - European Union". transparency-register.europa.eu. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  3. ^ internationale, Agriculture. "Le lait, une énergie durable". www.agriculture-internationale.com
  4. ^ Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences, 2e édition, volume 4, Academic Press., 2011
  5. ^ Krüttgen, Nicole (2016-05-10). "Führungskultur im Wandel: Nicht mehr und noch nicht …". Betriebliche Prävention (5). doi:10.37307/j.2365-7634.2016.05.05. ISSN 2365-7634.
  6. ^ Groupe de presse agricole REUSSIR SA. "Questions Michel Nalet (Lactalis), nouveau pr sident d EDA, European dairy association - 26-10-2012 - RLF". www.rlf.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  7. ^ "Alexander Anton, European Dairy Association". Dairy Sustainability Framework. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  8. ^ Hennis, Marjoleine (1998-01-01), "Protectionism in a Globalized Food System: The Impact of the Common Agricultural Policy on the World Market", The Union and the World: The Political Economy of a Common European Foreign Policy, Brill | Nijhoff, pp. 271–283, doi:10.1163/9789004640313_018, ISBN 978-90-04-64031-3, retrieved 2025-06-26
  9. ^ "Agriculture-internationale.com". www.agriculture-internationale.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  10. ^ Henning, Christian H. C. A. (2000-01-01). Macht und Tausch in der europäischen Agrarpolitik: eine positive Theorie kollektiver Entscheidungen (in German). Campus Verlag
  11. ^ "Market Integration and Market Power in the Internal EU Market for Butter", Traditional Food Production and Rural Sustainable Development, Routledge, pp. 149–164, 2016-02-24, doi:10.4324/9781315550374-19, ISBN 978-1-315-55037-4, retrieved 2025-06-26
  12. ^ "Alexander Anton". dairynews.today. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  13. ^ Egdell, Janet M.; Thomson, Kenneth J. (March 1999). "The Influence of UK NGOs on the Common Agricultural Policy". JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. 37 (1): 121–131. doi:10.1111/1468-5965.00153. ISSN 0021-9886.
  14. ^ admin (2014-09-30). "Dairy in India: How can exporters crack the market?". Just Food. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  15. ^ "Competitiveness and Private Sector Development: Kazakhstan 2010". OECD. 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  16. ^ "EDA calls for school milk revamp". Dairy Industries International. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  17. ^ Miller, Gregory D.; Jarvis, Judith K.; McBean, Lois D. (2006-12-15). Handbook of Dairy Foods and Nutrition. doi:10.1201/9781420004311. ISBN 978-0-429-12241-5.
  18. ^ Waldron, K (2007-04-06), "Waste minimization, management and co-product recovery in food processing", Handbook of Waste Management and Co-Product Recovery in Food Processing, CRC Press, doi:10.1201/9781439824498.pt1, ISBN 978-0-8493-9132-3, retrieved 2025-06-27
  19. ^ "Civil dialogue groups - European Commission". agriculture.ec.europa.eu. 2025-05-22. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  20. ^ "EDA Annual Convention 2024". EDA - Europen Dairy Association. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  21. ^ "Alexander Anton, European Dairy Association - Dairy Sustainability Framework". Dairy Sustainability Framework. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  22. ^ "FoodDrinkEurope". fooddrinkeurope.eu. 2017.
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