ETKÜ New Council

Members of the Estonian Cattle Breeders’ Cooperative (ETKÜ) elected a new council and authorized representatives at the regular general meeting held on June 17. Additionally, the best cattle breeders were recognized.

Tanel-Taavi Bulitko, chairman of the ETKÜ board, thanked the previous council for their work and emphasized that the past five years have been challenging for the sector, and the contribution of the council members in shaping the cooperative’s strategic activities cannot be underestimated. “They have all been individuals with a strong sense of mission, representing breeders of different cattle breeds from various regions. Although this period was marked by a decline in cattle numbers against the backdrop of general economic crises, it was also a time when Estonia’s cattle milk production was brought to the top in Europe,” he remarked.

Previously, the council consisted of 15 members elected for five years; however, a change introduced to the statutes two years ago reduced the number of council members to nine, and under the new arrangement, the council’s mandate lasts for three years. The newly elected council members are: Ege Raid, Maarja Paomees, Maarika Susi, Tõnu Post, Margus Muld, Marko Hiiemäe, Targo Pikkmets, Mihkel Olt, and Kaja Piirfeldt.

When discussing the priorities of the new council and the cooperative, Bulitko stated that since ETKÜ is a cattle breeding organization, a strong focus on cattle breed selection must be a priority in the coming period. “At the same time, it must be taken into account that due to the high genetic value of herds, there is increasing interest among livestock holders to have continuous markets for selling their cattle,” he said. “Additionally, we started an animal disease control program this spring that will last until 2027 and possibly longer, which requires our contribution as well. It’s also necessary to clarify the future vision of the Estonian Agricultural Animal Performance Control AS. There are many topics to address. Not to mention that we are unaware of what regulations will emerge regarding the transportation of animals. It is possible that we will need to create feedlots together with producers if calves can no longer be transported at some point—there are numerous topics on the table, and they continue to arise,” Bulitko listed the directions for future activities.