The European Dairy Association’s (EDA) weekly bulletin: the 14-16 October Bratislava convention features a dedicated Ukraine dairy session, plus a new cardiovascular-health factsheet, World School Milk Day results and the International Whey Conference in Chicago.

The European Dairy Association (EDA) has published its latest Dairy Flash bulletin (#13/2026, 1 October). The headline story: for the first time, the EDA Annual Convention in Bratislava will feature a dedicated session on Ukraine’s dairy sector, EDA reports.

EDA Convention 2026: a dedicated Ukraine session

The EDA Annual Convention 2026 runs 14-16 October in Bratislava under the motto «European Dairy: Local Roots and Global Competitiveness», organised with the Slovak Dairy Association (SMZ) and ASSIFONTE, under the auspices of Richard Takáč, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic.

The convention’s first session, a panel on «Local Roots and Global Competitiveness», will explore how European dairy can build on its rich regional heritage while strengthening its position in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Key for Ukrainian readers: the session will also include a dedicated panel, «Ukraine Dairy: European Roots and Global Competitiveness», offering a closer look at Ukraine’s dairy sector, alongside a McKinsey & Company study, «What’s on the mind of the CEO’s of dairy companies?», and a contribution from Tetra Pak, Europe’s biggest food and beverage packaging company.

Announced speakers for the first session include:

  • Albert de Groot — EDA President
  • Richard Takáč — Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic
  • Marián Šolty — SMZ President (Slovak Dairy Association)
  • Flavio Coturni — DG TRADE, EU Commission
  • Oisin Morrin — CEO, Tippagral France
  • Christoph Till — Managing Director, Meggle SK/CR/HU
  • Oleksandr Avramuk — CEO, Lactalis Ukraine
  • Piercristiano Brazzale — CEO, Brazzale S.p.A

Second session: nutrition and Women in Dairy

The convention’s afternoon session, «Dairy Delivering Nutrition Excellence Across the World», brings together international dairy leaders and researchers from across the value chain to explore how the sector can keep contributing to global nutrition and evolving consumer needs.

The session will be preceded by «Women in Dairy», launching a new network to strengthen collaboration among women across the dairy value chain.

Announced speakers for the second session include:

  • Gilles Froment — IDF President (International Dairy Federation)
  • Pietro Paganini — President, Competere
  • Miquela L. Hanselman — U.S. dairy policy specialist, USDEC
  • Martin Polovka — Food Specialist, National Agricultural and Food Centre (Slovakia)
  • Daniela Martini — Associate Professor, University of Milano
  • Isabelle Pitter — Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer, Prolactal GmbH, Woman in Dairy
  • Adela Putinelu — Senior Manager, Government Affairs EMEA, Sealed Air
  • Neil Dunn — VP, Food Packaging Solutions EMEA, Sealed Air
  • Alex Henriksen — Managing Director East Europe, Tetra Pak
  • Ludovic Meilhac — Expert partner, McKinsey & Company

Moderators: Rose O’Donovan (AGRA FACTS) and Kinga Adamaszwili (EDA Deputy Secretary General).

12th International Whey Conference in Chicago

The 12th International Whey Conference (IWC26), co-organised by ADPI (the American Dairy Products Institute) and EWPA (the European Whey Processors Association), drew 650 registered attendees and was fully booked.

Alexander Anton, EWPA Secretary General: «The future of whey will not be built by one dairy region, but through collaboration — between dairy regions, between industry and science, between established and emerging markets, between today’s technologies and tomorrow’s ideas. Our whey industry sets a benchmark when it comes to showcasing the mutual benefits of transatlantic trade and investment partnership and collaboration.»

Mary Ledman (Daily Dairy Report) and Mike McCully (McCully Consulting) gave a deep insight into the global and U.S. markets for dairy ingredients, pointing to unprecedented dynamics in U.S. production.

Mike McCully, McCully Consulting: «We see an unprecedented investment in U.S. milk processing — with an additional new capacity of 500,000 tons of cheese per year on the horizon — with a plus of around 50,000 tons of WPC80 and 25,000 tons of WPI by 2028.»

Mary Ledman, Daily Dairy Report: «For the next ten years, one can expect an annual increase in global WPC80 demand in the range of 34,000 tons per year.»

The scientific programme centred on the latest nutrition research (proteins, lipids and carbohydrates) and technology (processing, functionality, ingredients and co-product valorisation), with the rising use of GLP-1 anti-obesity medications and healthy aging emerging as prominent future trends.

EWPA will next take part in Food Ingredients Europe 2026 on Thursday, 19 November, in Frankfurt, with a session titled «Why Whey, Why now» featuring EWPA President Benno van Mersbergen (also CIO at Royal FrieslandCampina), Mark Voorbergen (Dairy Intel) and Mette Toft (Arla Foods Ingredients).

World School Milk Day: a record 107 million litres

On 30 September, World School Milk Day celebrated the millions of children across Europe enjoying milk and dairy products through the EU school scheme. Last year, 19.2 million children — 23% of the EU’s entire child population — took part every day, with 107 million litres of drinking milk and 11 million litres of yoghurt distributed.

EDA factsheet on cardiovascular disease

This week, on 29 September — International World Heart Health Day — EDA published a new cardiovascular disease (CVD) factsheet, «Dairy & heart health». CVD remains the leading cause of death in the EU, with unhealthy diets among the major risk factors.

Total dairy consumption is not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or higher LDL cholesterol levels. Fermented dairy products — particularly yoghurt and cheese — are consistently associated with favourable cardiometabolic outcomes. Dairy consumption may contribute to healthy blood pressure and is linked to a lower risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, both important cardiovascular risk factors. The health effects of foods depend on the whole food matrix rather than individual nutrients considered in isolation.

EDA hosts an online TRACES workshop

On 28 September, EDA organised a workshop with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) on using TRACES, the Commission’s online platform for animal and plant health certification for dairy exports. With 123 registrations and 23 questions collected in advance, the event showed strong interest in practical export-certification support.

The workshop let operators discuss the EU export workflow directly with DG SANTE experts, including system access, certificate corrections and replacements, and electronic seals.

Source: EDA