Professionals from the agri-food sector gathered in the auditorium of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) to present their concerns and proposals related to the dairy industry at the 9th Cantabria Agri-Food Forum, organised by El Diario Montañés through its supplement Cantabria en la Mesa.
Livestock farmers, academics, veterinarians and cheese makers have confirmed that Cantabrian milk is ‘of the highest quality’. The aim of this edition was to analyse the present and future of the Cantabrian dairy sector, which was described during the round tables as the ‘economic engine’ of the region.
The rector of the university, Rubén Calderón, emphasised the importance of the agri-food sector for UNEATLANTICO, as it is the only university in Cantabria with four degrees covering the entire food chain: Agricultural and Food Industry Engineering (IIAA), Food Science and Technology (CTA), Human Nutrition and Dietetics (NHD) and Gastronomy (GASTRO).
For her part, María Jesús Susinos, Minister for Rural Development, Livestock, Food and Fisheries, and one of those responsible for opening the forum alongside Rubén Calderón and Víctor Yuste, Director General of the Interalimentario Forum, highlighted Cantabria’s close relationship with the dairy sector and gave an overview of the region’s dairy history.
The editor-in-chief of Diario Montañés, José Luis Pérez, acted as moderator for the meeting, which served as a platform for various livestock farmers, cheese makers, trade unionists, veterinarians, cooperative members, industry representatives and academics such as Professor Fernando Collantes, who reviewed the history of dairy consumption in Cantabria. Together with the other speakers, they reviewed the strengths of the sector, the diversification of products and some of the problems they face. One of these is the reduction in the number of farms and the lack of generational renewal.
The forum featured different perspectives: that of large companies, such as Mercadona, with the participation of its Director of Consumption, Clara Medina, and that of teachers from the CIFP La Granja de Heras, with their project to recover the Pasiega red cow. In addition, the livestock farmer and vice-president of the Interprofessional Dairy Organisation, Charo Arredondo de Soba, spoke of her concern about the lack of professionals in the sector.
UNEATLANTICO’s participation in the 9th Cantabria Agri-Food Forum reflects the institution’s firm commitment to promoting and developing the agricultural sector.