EDA - European Dairy Association

- SEE FULL TEXT IN THE ATTACHED EDA POSITION - EDA supports the Commissions ambition to further harmonize the EU internal market for packaging and packaging waste and continue the transition to a more circular economy for packaging. These rules should be aligned with legislation on hygiene and food contact materials, green claims, and the framework for a sustainable food system.

• The European Dairy Association (EDA) welcomes the Commissions effort to review the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, including the Essential Requirements, with a focus on ensuring a European framework for investments in new and cutting-edge packaging solutions, supporting the reduction of packaging waste and enhancing the sustainability of packaging in an economically viable manner.

EDA welcomes the European Commission proposal for a European Climate Law, aimed at enshrining the EU objective of climate neutrality by 2050 in legislation. We believe it is of utmost importance to have this long-term vision and we call upon the EU Commission to develop cost-efficient policy tools for implementing the strategy.

In the context of the European Green Deal, EDA shares and fully supports the EU ambition to take coherent and forceful leadership at European and global level. The dairy industry is committed to play its role within this new set of policy tools to further strengthen our full engagement and support to the efforts made at all levels of the supply chain.

EDA supports the initiative aimed at establishing common EU standards for carbon removals. Such a business model could be beneficial to speed up carbon removals in agriculture. Carbon sinks such as dairy pasturelands are, amongst others, crucial in the transition towards a carbon neutral EU by 2050, and such contribution should be recognised.

EDA supports the initiative aimed at establishing common EU standards for the certification of carbon removals. The dairy sector is in favour of financial schemes to reward farmers for removal of carbon from the atmosphere and we recognize that such a business model is needed to speed up carbon removals in the agricultural sector.

- While recognizing the necessity to pace and scale-up existing and new technologies such as carbon removals and carbon capture, and the consequential need for both public and private support, we do support the inclusion of permanent (industrial) removals in the ETS1, but not the inclusion of CRCF credits from carbon farming into the ETS 1.

- SEE FULL VERSION ATTACHED - EDA welcomes the proposal on substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims. We support the ambition to harmonise the requirements for communicating green claims and create a level-playing field on the EU market. We believe that there is a need for a harmonised approach.

EDA supports the use of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology to substantiate green claims in the EU. We support action by the EU Commission to integrate the PEF into existing or new policy instruments, to reward sustainable practices and limit the risk of credibility loss that the proliferation of green claims may cause.

In the context of the European Green Deal, EDA shares and fully supports the EU’s ambition to take coherent and forceful leadership at European and global level. The dairy industry is committed to play its role within this new set of policy tools to further strengthen our full engagement and support to the efforts made at all levels of the supply chain.

The European Dairy Association (EDA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commission consultation on the revision of the benchmark values for free allocation of emission allowances for the 20262030 period. The EU dairy sector remains committed to contributing to the EUs climate objectives and to continuing its decarbonisation efforts.

EDA calls upon the EU Commission to develop cost-efficient policy tools in the context of the ETS revision and the Fit for 55 package. Such implementation tools should be in line with the EU environmental commitments and the SDGs and at the same time should not undermine food safety, quality, security, affordability, and the European food culture, and should not damage nutrition and health.

The overall EU framework to restrict unnecessary emissions is followed by the dairy sector since the start, and the EU leaders see the importance of the agri-food sector in providing food to the population. Current tendencies and realities only underline the importance. We are willing to further work on our raw material uses and critical emissions and wish to continue improving as much as possible.

In the context of the European Green Deal, EDA shares and fully supports the EU’s ambition to take coherent and forceful leadership at European and global level. The dairy industry is committed to play its role within this new set of policy tools to further strengthen our full engagement and support to the efforts made at all levels of the supply chain.

Introduction & Analysis Marketing Standards and common product definitions (sales descriptions and protected denominations) have proven very instrumental in assuring concise & transparent consumer information, guaranteeing a level playing field within the market competition and in facilitating trade.

The European Dairy Association (EDA), representing the European milk processing industry, welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the EU consultation on updated rules on the use of certain fertilising materials from livestock manure (RENURE).

EDA calls upon the EU Commission to develop cost-efficient policy tools in the context of the LULUCF revision. Such implementation tools should be in line with the EU environmental commitments and at the same time should not undermine food safety, quality, security, affordability and the European food culture, and should not damage nutrition and health.

Please find below a summary of our contribution. For the full text, see the attachment. --- EDA Position on the EU Commission Proposal to Strengthen Farmers' Position in the Agri-Food Supply Chain On December 10, 2024, the European Commission presented proposals to strengthen farmers position in the agri-food supply chain, including revisions to the Common Market Organisation (CMO) framework for contracts in the…

EDA welcomes the initiative aimed at minimising the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide, promoting the consumption of products from deforestation-free supply chains. The European dairy sector is aware of its impact beyond EU borders, even if often smaller per litre of milk than the impact of overseas production.

The European dairy is the guardian of a unique culinary heritage and a cultural treasure: next to the legal protection of dairy terms, like ‘milk’, ‘cheese’ or ‘whey’ more than 300 designations of cheeses and other dairy products are protected as Geographical Indications (GI) through the EU quality policy and the GI protection scheme.

1) Improving sustainable production under the schemes The GI system is set up to protect and promote specific product names, their unique characteristics, linked to their geographical origin as well as traditional know-how. The traditional, often centennial production methods, enshrined in the ‘cahier des charges’ guarantee the economic/social/environmentally sustainable production methods per se.

The European dairy industry welcomes the Commission's effort to review the Feed Additives Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003), with the aim of modernising the legislation to adapt it to the goals of sustainable farming and improve its effectiveness and efficiency without compromising health and food safety.