The strategy is shared across all dairy advocacy in Finland. It has been developed in cooperation with the Finnish Dairy Board, MTK’s Dairy Committee, MTK Central Union, and SLC. Its preparation involved extensive stakeholder dialogue to ensure the goals reflect the sector’s needs.

The work builds on several existing strategies and scenario materials, including national food and export strategies as well as Luke’s TOIVO and PERUS scenarios. This joint effort has brought the sector’s voice together into one clear intent: Finnish milk production aims to be the engine of a sustainable and competitive food system. 

The strategy’s core is clear. The vision is for Finnish milk production to be a competitive and sustainable forerunner within the food system, and the mission is to strengthen the competitiveness and development of milk production. Interim targets at five, ten, and twenty years make the direction concrete. In the coming years, we will safeguard the overall milk production capacity through investments and keep the sector growth‑oriented and attractive to young people and new entrepreneurs. At the same time, a new national dairy strategy, embracing the entire dairy chain and its stakeholders, has formed to accelerate growth.

The next phase will focus on creating new value through exports and processing, while strengthening farm viability. Farm‑level investments will obtain financing because the sector is competitive, and the market delivers added value. In the long term, we will make Finnish dairy products highly desirable also in global markets and our domestic dairy production a globally recognised model of sustainability. Profitable, self‑sufficient, and competitive production forms the cornerstone of regional vitality. 

The strategy is guided by values: thriving farms and rural areas, future food security, Finnish quality, and one health. Implementation rests on three strong pillars. 

1. Strong societal advocacy: Proactive advocacy in the EU and domestically to ensure predictable regulation that enables investments, agricultural support schemes that safeguard regional balance, visibility for milk’s role in comprehensive security and food industry growth, and a strong position for milk producers. 
2. Succeed in the market: Generating added value in domestic and export markets, strengthening the sector’s positive image, systematically building capabilities, and turning sustainability work into a competitive advantage. 
3. The power of collaboration: Implementing the strategy together with the entire chain, jointly managing risks, and making milk production familiar to consumers, decision‑makers, and future professionals. 

Preparatory work is already underway, and we are moving into implementation. In this way we turn the vision into reality and ensure that Finnish milk in 2035, and beyond, is the world’s best. 

• Summary in English

Further information: 

Saralotta Engblom, Junior Advisor, Dairy 
saralotta.engblom@mtk.fi, +358 20 413 2095 

Marjukka Mattio, Dairy Ombudsman 
marjukka.mattio@mtk.fi, +358 20 413 2432 

topics: agricultural policy, animal welfare, animal production, milk