President Mary McAleese has said that the ability of the dairy industry to manage change has been at the root of its success over the years.
Opening the World Dairy Summit in Dublin this morning, Mrs McAleese said the industry has out-run all its challenges and she said would no doubt continue to do so even in the face of future challenges such as trade liberalisation.
900 delegates from all over the World are attending the conference, which is being held in Dublin for the first time in 36 years.
The President said that for many generations the dairy sector was one of the very few economic stories Ireland could boast of.
Mrs McAleese praised the industry for being inventive and imaginative in developing new products and for responding to the demands of modern consumers.
The President of the International Dairy Federation, Jim Beggs, said the industry was going through exciting times, with rising prices and strong demand for dairy output.
But he said that while milk is a fantastic product the industry has to continually demonstrate that to consumers.
On the environment, Mr Beggs said that the control of greenhouse gases in the development of the industry must be based on sound science, rather than emotion.
