After 20 years as president of Assolatte (the association of Italian dairy industries) Giuseppe Ambrosi (in the picture above) has moved to the top of the European Dairy Association (EDA). EDA is a meeting place for the development of projects that guide the dairy industry in its dealings with European institutions and international bodies on key issues such as growth, competitiveness and sustainability. Moreover, it brings together the associations of entrepreneurs from all European countries. According to Paolo Zanetti, current president of Assolatte, this appointment “is an extraordinary result for Italy and for Assolatte, which makes the whole national dairy industry proud.”
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“The dairy sector is the backbone of rural Europe – says Giuseppe Ambrosi – and the numbers speak for themselves: 170 billion euros of turnover, 12 thousand sites for the processing of milk and dairy products, more than 300 thousand specialized workers (of which 45 thousand engaged in exports), and 700 thousand stables from which we collect milk.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DAIRY INDUSTRY IN THE EU
The European dairy industry processes 162 million tons of milk each year, turning it into 29.5 million tons of drinking milk, 9.3 million tons of cheese, 8.1 million tons of fermented products, and 2.2 million tons of butter. It contributes more than 10 billion euros to the EU’s overall trade balance.