This year’s edition was attended by: Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania Paulius Lukševičius, Secretary General of Copa-Cogeca Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of the European Dairy Association – EDA Alexander Anton, Secretary General of Eucolait, the European Association of Dairy Trade Jukka Likitalo and, remotely, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski.

During his speech, Secretary of State Ryszard Bartosik stressed that the Polish dairy industry is one of the most important branches of the Polish agri-food sector, which generates about 13% of revenue from the total economic activity of the food industry. The commodity supply of milk places Poland among the top producers of milk and dairy products in the EU and among the most important producers in the world.

– The existing concentration of production and processing has not frustrated the social role that the dairy sector still plays in the Polish countryside due to being an important source of permanent income and food for around 200 thousand farms in Poland, including around 100 thousand farms delivering raw material to the dairy industry” – stressed Deputy Minister Bartosik.

On the sidelines of the Dairy Cooperative Forum, Secretary of State Ryszard Bartosik held bilateral talks with Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, Paulius Lukševičius. They discussed the issues of the Polish Milk Promotion Fund and cooperation with Lithuania in the area of African swine fever eradication. Secretary of State Ryszard Bartosik stressed that the priority issue for Poland is still to limit the further spread of ASF in the territory of the European Union and that effective eradication of the virus requires taking joint activities with other countries. The Ministers reaffirmed their will to continue intense cooperation between Poland and Lithuania in the field of agriculture and rural development.

Deputy Minister Bartosik also met with Secretary General of Copa-Cogeca, Pekka Pesonen and the representatives of this organisation. He presented Poland’s position on the most important issues regarding the European Green Deal and the Common Agricultural Policy. The need for further participation of a strong Polish representation in the structures of EU organisations was also stressed.