In the latest issue of Dairy Flash 4/2026, the European Dairy Association (EDA) has focused on the future development strategy for the EU dairy sector, changes in market regulation, trade challenges and the integration of the Ukrainian agricultural sector into the European market.

EDA Conference: a new strategy for the EU dairy sector

The EDA Dairy Policy Conference 2026 will take place in Brussels on 25 March under the slogan ‘Competitive, Resilient & Sustainable — our European Dairy Strategy’.

Conference participants will discuss how the new EU strategy can ensure the competitiveness, resilience and sustainable development of the dairy sector, as well as address political and trade challenges.

Key topics of the event include:

  • new directions in EU agricultural policy;
  • regulatory changes for the dairy sector;
  • Global trade outlook for 2026.

Representatives from the European Commission (DG AGRI), the European Parliament and international companies, including FrieslandCampina, will take part in the discussions.

The EU is maintaining market principles in the dairy sector

The EDA welcomed the political agreement reached on 5 March during the trilogue negotiations on the revision of Articles 148 and 168 of the Single Common Market Organisation (sCMO) Regulation (Regulation 1308/2013).

The association emphasises that the compromise has made it possible to preserve the key principles underpinning the functioning of the EU dairy market:

  • the industry’s market orientation
  • freedom of contract
  • the principle of subsidiarity

A key part of the agreement is the option for Member States to opt out of certain contractual provisions, which allows for the different models of dairy market organisation across EU countries to be taken into account. Special exemptions for dairy cooperatives are also provided for.

The EDA highlighted the role played by MEPs Barry Cowen, Bert-Jan Ruissen, Norbert Lins and Stefan Köhler, who were involved in reaching the compromise.

EDA Secretary-General Alexander Anton noted that the legislative process took place under difficult circumstances and without a prior impact assessment; however, the final outcome made it possible to preserve the fundamental principles underpinning the dairy sector.

According to him, the dairy sector has traditionally operated on the basis of written contracts — both through private agreements and via cooperative statutes — so the main objective was to maintain flexibility for different national market models.

The Italian dairy sector and international trade

Representatives of the European Dairy Association (EDA) also discussed the situation on the international dairy market and the development of the Italian sector during a meeting with Giovanni Pomella, CEO of Lactalis Italia.

As noted by EDA Secretary-General Alexander Anton, during the talks the parties discussed current issues in international trade and the situation on the dairy market in Italy and Europe.

Lactalis Italia is one of the key players in the country’s dairy industry:

  • its companies employ around 5,300 staff;
  • The company operates 30 processing plants in Italy.

These companies produce a wide range of dairy products, including eight cheeses with a protected geographical indication (GI).

During the meeting, participants also discussed the role of the EU Quality Policy and programmes to promote EU agricultural products, which help to boost the competitiveness of European dairy products on global markets.

Chinese tariffs on EU dairy products

China’s trade policy remains a major challenge for the European dairy sector.

In February 2026, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce concluded an anti-subsidy investigation into EU dairy products and imposed additional duties of 11.7% on imports of cheese and cream for a period of five years.

The European Commission is currently considering possible next steps, including a potential appeal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

According to EDA’s Director of Trade and Economy, Laurens van Delft, the negotiations succeeded in significantly reducing the level of potential tariffs — from 42.7% to 11.7%.

Sustainable development of dairy farms

EDA also took part in a technical workshop organised by the European Commission (DG AGRI) on the On-Farm Sustainability Compass initiative, which aims to establish a system for assessing sustainability at farm level.

During the discussion, representatives of the dairy industry presented an approach to environmental benchmarking, specifically the use of the Dairy Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology to assess the environmental impact of dairy products.

Ukraine and integration into EU agricultural policy

Particular attention was paid to the integration of the Ukrainian agricultural sector into European policy.

Nazar Bobitski, Director of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB), organised a discussion involving representatives from Ukraine and the EU on the integration of the Ukrainian agri-food sector into the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Economy Denys Bashlyk and Member of the European Parliament Pekka Toveri commended the efforts of the Ukrainian agricultural sector in preparing for EU accession.

According to the participants in the discussion, the question today is no longer so much whether Ukraine is ready for the European Union, but rather whether the EU is ready for Ukraine.

Conclusions

In the latest issue of Dairy Flash 4/2026, the European Dairy Association emphasises that the future of the sector depends on a balanced agricultural policy, stable trading conditions and the development of tools for sustainable production.

The European dairy sector continues to adapt to new regulatory requirements, geopolitical challenges and changes in global markets.

Source: European Dairy Association (EDA), Dairy Flash 4/2026