GDP Bulletin July / August 2024

GDP Sharing Dairy Sector Progress at Climate Week NYC

Climate Week NYC, which takes place Sept. 22-29, will feature a strong GDP and dairy sector presence to tell the story of the dairy sector’s environmental commitment and progress at events throughout the week. GDP is working with global partners to organize two programs at the same location on September 25, which are available for in-person and virtual attendance:

“Livestock Tackling the Methane Challenge” in partnership with Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which will include speakers from FAO and Elanco, as well as Hanne Søndergaard, Executive Vice President, Agriculture, Sustainability & Communications at Arla Foods and Mireille Einwachter, Chief Sustainability Officer, Royal FrieslandCampina.
“Pastures of Plenty: Sustainable Livestock Solutions for Climate, Nature and People” with Advancing Livestock for Climate (Alive4Climate) Coalition, which includes several NGOs. Former GDP Operational Committee member Jay Waldvogel will speak on a panel about Dairy Nourishes Africa.

This year, more than 600 events covering 10 themes are expected to take place in-person and virtually during Climate Week NYC. GDP is attending several events and is working with member company executives and Dairy Ambassadors who will visit New York City that week.

Healthy Aging is Topic of September Nutrition Science Webinar

In late September, a GDP Nutrition Science Webinar will be presented by Sandra Iuliano, PhD, Nutritionist and internationally renowned researcher from the Department of Medicine at the University Melbourne.

Dr. Iuliano will discuss the role of dairy foods in healthy aging, where she will draw upon findings from her large, multi-center clinical trial that involved over 7,000 older adults in 60 residential care facilities and demonstrated that correcting low intakes of calcium and high-quality protein with the consumption of milk, yogurt and cheese resulted in reduced fractures and falls and health care savings. Dr. Iuliano will cover dairy’s place in the “food is medicine” movement and how scientists and policymakers can play a role in supporting evidence-based food-based dietary guidelines.

This topic has added urgency, as 1 in 6 people globally will be aged 65 years or older by 2050. This age group is at increased risk of micronutrient deficiency and non-communicable diseases resulting in decreased quality of life and increased healthcare costs. The “food is medicine” movement is one that asserts that access to high-quality nourishment is essential for well-being across the health continuum.

The webinar will be moderated by Beth Bradley, PhD, Chief Science Officer, Global Dairy Platform and Rivkeh Haryono, PhD, Senior Nutrition Scientist, Dairy Australia. It will take place on Wednesday, September 25 from 15:00 – 16:00 (US Central Time) / Thursday, September 26 from 6:00 – 7:00 (Melbourne).

A link to the recorded webinar will be provided to all registrants.

Sandra Iuliano, PhD, Nutritionist and internationally renowned researcher from the Department of Medicine at the University Melbourne

Global Livestock Event Includes GDP Event, Appearances

GDP was an active participant in the Committee on Agriculture (COAG)’s Sub-Committee on Livestock Second Session in Rome from July 16-18 to build awareness of the dairy sector’s environmental progress and essential role in areas such as food security and gender empowerment. GDP conducted one side event, chaired a second event and also spoke at a third:

Executive Director Donald Moore spoke on a panel, “Addressing the Climate-Food Security-Development Nexus in Livestock Systems.” He discussed environmental progress in the dairy sector at the event, which was organized by ILRI and included the head of climate change and livestock sustainability from the government of Kenya.
Moore served as moderator for the “Women & Sustainable Livestock Transformation: Advancing the Agenda for Sustainable Development” side event organized by GASL that included participation from FAO and ILRI representatives.
GDP also spoke during the partner sessions in main plenary, where Moore explained how P2DNZ has changed the way the dairy sector approaches sustainability, highlighting work in East Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Still Time to Register for GDP Annual Meeting

The GDP Annual Meeting, which is scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 14 in Paris, will include updates on GDP’s progress with socio-economic research, Pathways to Dairy Net Zero and nutrition science. The keynote speaker will be Professor Mairead Kiely, PhD MRIA, from the Cork Centre for Vitamin D and Nutrition Research School of Food and Nutritional Sciences & INFANT Maternal and Child Health Research Centre, University College Cork, Ireland. Register here for the GDP Annual Meeting.