In Cremona, the inauguration of the Milk Way aims to highlight the importance and value of Italian milk and those who produce it.
The dairy supply chain plays a primary role in the national agri-food system. According to Ismea data, bovine milk production stands at over 4.9 billion euros, representing almost 9% of the value generated by agriculture as a whole. According to Clal, Lombardy alone produces 46% of Italian milk. Cremona, by history and tradition, is considered the natural Italian capital of milk. The city hosts the leading international exhibition event where the sector gathers annually for discussion and updates.
“The International Livestock Exhibitions in Cremona play a central role for the sector,” declares Roberto Biloni, President of CremonaFiere, “and their main objective is to focus attention on milk and its industry to properly inform consumers about the quality of the supply chain from genetics to feed, from equipment to processing. The exhibition serves to bring together all the parties contributing to the production of quality and sustainable products that consumers put in their carts every day. The bovine milk sector manages to survive thanks to exports. Professional exhibitions also play a fundamental role in this context.”
On the eve of World Milk Day celebrations, the President of CremonaFiere draws attention to the role of exhibitions for the development of the sector, which is going through a phase of high volatility. In Cremona, on June 1, on the occasion of World Milk Day 2023, to highlight the importance and impact of the sector, the hoofprints of the cows that won the Cremona International Dairy Show 2021 and 2022 will symbolically be brought to the square, inaugurating the “Milk Way.” The aim is to remember the value of Italian milk and those who produce it, attention to animal welfare, and the excellence of cows and productions with all the characteristics of sustainability, quality, and professionalism. Next to the hoofprints of the winning cows of the exhibition will also be imprinted those of the hand of their own breeder as a symbolic seal of a pact between men and animals that is millennia old. Through this initiative, the Municipality of Cremona and CremonaFiere want to thank the breeders who strive for excellence and who have recognized the exhibition center as the most important international stage for their farms and the animals presented.
At the Courtyard of Federico II, it will be possible to attend the inauguration of the Milk Way, where the hoofprints of Baruf Del Primero Sally, the winning cow of Supreme Senior 2021 from the Tjr Portea Societa’ Agricola S.S. – VB farm, and of Llinde Ariel Jordan Sat Ceceno, the winning cow of Supreme Senior 2022 from the Sat Ceceno – Ceceno, Cantabria (Spain) farm, will be unveiled.
“This initiative aims to celebrate the history, tradition, and excellence represented in Cremona,” continues Biloni, “In the livestock world, when we talk about Italy, we talk about Cremona. It is right that citizens should also be aware and proud of this, and it is right that those who visit the city can find a tangible sign of this uniqueness. In recent years, the territory and the exhibition have increasingly integrated, concretely implementing strategies shared with institutions.”
“The idea of the Milk Way aims to celebrate the millennial alliance between men and working animals,” says the President of the Municipal Council of Cremona, Paolo Carletti, “with the specificity of Cremona, which has specialized as the only avant-garde in dairy production for 150 years now, seeing in those worlds the authentic emancipation of the working class and at the same time seeing the Exhibition as a perfect and plastic example of the spread of excellence. We are sure that tomorrow will be a day that will mark a fundamental and historical point in international livestock farming; Cremona has been the capital of salt, has been and is the capital of the Po, and has been and will be even more so of milk!”
Cremona is, in fact, home to numerous research centers on livestock innovation active since the 1950s, universities, reference associations, companies, and international reference centers such as the exhibition center, united under the aegis of the Center for Innovation in Agri-food Livestock (ZAF Innovation Center), created with the aim of supporting projects to promote innovation and ecological transition in livestock, agriculture, and agri-food transformation.
| Cremona International Dairy Show: A high-quality Livestock Exhibition with an international profile, capable of offering a glimpse into the most interesting results of European dairy cow genetics. The 2022 edition saw the participation of over 600 animals from the Holstein, Red Holstein, Brown Swiss, and Jersey breeds, presented by 130 farms from 8 countries around the world. |
