The conference will be held in Yokohama from October 28 to November 1 with the theme Rediscovering Milk featuring 150 speakers on subjects such as environmental issues and the latest health research findings.
Yasue Fujioka, deputy director at the milk and dairy products division of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) livestock industry department, said each country must deal with a number of problems such as environmental issues and coming up with policies to maintain the strength of its agriculture.
“Viewpoints on how to deal with all these issues may differ according to each country, but by exchanging ideas, participants may gain insights on how to find solutions.”
Japan’s dairy industry faces a range of difficulties. The country’s main grain agriculture is rice, and there’s not enough space left for growing feed which must be imported. World feed prices have gone up and the recent fall in the yen’s value has resulted in a 20% rise in feed costs.
With profits reduced, many farmers are wondering if they can continue. The average age of dairy farmers is rising and 26% are over 65.
The number of farmers and dairy cows are both going down, and so is dairy production. With the country’s declining birth rate, consumption is dropping as well.
From a peak of 418,000 50 years ago, the number of dairy farms has dwindled to 19,000. Dairy cow numbers have gone down 32% to 1.4 million from a high of just over 2m 20 years ago.
With an average herd of 73 cows Japanese dairy farmers wonder whether they can compete with imports since joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. Production was severely disrupted after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami which ruined 40,000 tonnes of raw milk and killed hundreds of cows.
About 52% of Japan’s milk production is concentrated on the northern island of Hokkaido. The country’s total demand for milk and dairy products amounts to 11.5m tonnes. Domestic production accounts for about 65% and imports about 35%.
The Japan Dairy Association (J-Milk) was formed in 2004. Among its activities, J-Milk provides milk supply forecasts and runs promotions to increase milk consumption.
Promotional activities director Takashi Kimura said his association’s 25 members, covering the supply chain from producers to dairies and distributors, will have the opportunity to meet about 3000 buyers at the World Dairy Summit. Foreign dairy product suppliers will be able to see what kind of dairy products are being sold in Japan and what value they have.
J-Milk is also setting up the Milk Academic Alliance, a network of about 500 university dairy issue research specialists from various countries who will take part in a special session on old age and health issues.
Founded in 2011, the Japan Dairy Industry Association counts 66 full members and 83 supporting
members. Managing director Tetsuo Ishihara said non-member Japanese dairy product makers will also be participating in the World Dairy Summit.
While Japanese dairy consumption is still small the summit will provide an opportunity for the association to collect information about foreign dairy product processes for its members.
“It will also be a chance to find solutions to common challenges.”
Established in 1962, the Japan Dairy Council is a public service corporation composed of prefectural-level associations and overseen by national advisory organisations.
The council assists Japanese dairy farmers to improve production, management, and distribution efficiency.
Secretary-General Masatoshi Uchihashi said the World Dairy Summit will give Japanese dairy producers an opportunity to gain more knowledge on Codex Alimentarius regulations through meetings with specialists.
Food self-sufficiency in Japan is low, officially at 40%, and dairy production faces issues such as feed costs, environmental and energy problems, and has recently experienced foot-and-mouth disease.
“We hope we can find solutions to all these problems through discussions during the summit.”
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