DAIRY FOODS IN HEALTH INTERNATIONAL DAIRY FEDERATION'S NUTRITION WEEK CONFERENCE

Plaza International, Wellington,

Welcome to New Zealand to our overseas visitors. It's great to have such a conference of scientists, nutritionists and others with interests in the dairy industry, in our country. New Zealand has long been an active member of the IDF and is pleased to host it once again.

The theme of the conference is the role of dairy food and milk components in human nutrition and health. With a growing world population, and generally improving standards of living, consumers are becoming more interested in the nutritional benefits of their food. They demand more information and are prepared to pay higher prices for quality.

Having been involved with the New Zealand dairy industry for over 50 years, growing up on a dairy farm, working as a dairy consultant, as a farmer, and in the management of the industry, I have seen many changes. Most particularly in product quality and diversity.

Only as recently as 1978, the New Zealand Dairy Board exported 630,000 tonnes of products to 110 destinations. This comprised 225 types of consumer and bulk packs, manufactured to 253 specifications.

This year, the Dairy Board exported 1 284 000 MT of product to over 100 destinations. This comprised 1700 different packages of 860 specifications.

In 20 years, the export tonnage has doubled, the number of different packages has grown by 6.7 times and the specifications have quadrupled. This illustrates the product differentiation that has become so important to the industry. And it's still going!

In terms of the break-down of types of product: In 1978, the New Zealand Dairy Board exported 6 types of butter and milkfat, 12 varieties of cheese, 4 main types of milk powders and 4 classes of caseins and other milk - 26 classes of goods.

In comparison, this year the Board exported 362 different forms of Butter and milkfat (of which 83 alone were patted salted butter). The number of cheese varieties was 135, with cheddar being 42 of those. Milkpowder types numbered 230 (med heat spray SMP made 34). Casein and caseinates types were 88 and other milk proteins were 74.

The total number of product types is now 889!! compared to 26 in 1978. Within two years this will exceed 1000 product types exported from New Zealand. This further shows not only the growth and diversity of the New Zealand industry, but also reflects the huge steps made to dairy processing and marketing by the farmer owned New Zealand Dairy Industry. This diversity and growth in product types is in line with consumer trends around the world.

The large contribution of dairy technologists and the nutrition profession has enabled this growth, diversity and product differentiation. You are vital players in your respective dairy industries.

Clearly, this area of product differentiation has provided dividends for the industry and for New Zealand dairy farmers.

Milk continues to be the world's most wholesome foodstuff. You as professionals continue to discover more and more about its unique components.

Increasingly milk processing can fractionate and rebuild milks solids. In a world where international trade is increasing at three times the rate of production, I would like to also comment on the need to continue to remove barriers to trade in agricultural foodstuffs such as milk products.

In New Zealand, apart from phytosanitary controls we have an open border policy for trade in all products. We have no restrictive licences or quotas. Our tariff policy is to eliminate the remaining tariffs which are now on just 8 percent of all imported goods, within the next decade.

Of concern are the attempts of some countries to erect trade barriers or even retain trade barriers at the expense of their own consumers.

New Zealanders are keen supporters of freer trade because it allows consumers in different parts of the world to gain the best products that different countries are able to produce. However we have ongoing concerns with respect to non tariff barriers. This is a particular concern to our dairy industry.

To those of you who are involved in Government agencies I make the comment that regulation that restricts consumer choice or other than health or safety reasons, penalises your own society.

Currently none of the major northern hemisphere countries allow open free trade in the worlds most wholesome foodstuff, milk and its many derivative products.

I know that your work will focus on nutrition and I applaud this work as it seeks to improve the health of our populations at a profit. However I would suggest that perhaps you should also be encouraging more liberal trade approaches in your own countries towards milk products if we are to maximise the nutritional advantages of milk to the population of the world.

Finally ladies and gentlemen I would like to wish you well as you work through an interesting agenda over the next few days. I hope you enjoy your stay in New Zealand and return soon.