
Dairy Cattle

Canada clears step toward ‘negligible risk’ BSE status
OIE delegates to vote in late May, CFIA says
The international committee that reviews countries’ requests for animal health status on specific diseases has called for Canada to level up on its status for BSE. The Scientific Commission of the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health), which last met virtually over Feb. 1-12, has recommended to OIE delegates that Canada’s application seeking “negligible risk” […] Read more

Dairy farmers asked to pass on palm byproducts in rations, for now
Seek out other ingredients while hard-butter issue under review, DFC asks
Canadian dairy farmers whose feed rations include supplements made with palm byproducts are being asked to consider other options while consumer complaints over butter are probed more closely. Dairy Farmers of Canada on Thursday asked its farmer members to “consider alternatives to palm supplements” pending the outcome of a review of “issues that have been […] Read more

Canadian feed-grade dairy product class expanded
Buttermilk products now qualify for 4(m) permit price
A dairy product class set up to boost markets for solids non-fat (SNF), by boosting their use in animal feed such as milk replacer, has been expanded to include more products. The Canadian Dairy Commission announced Monday that its 4(m) milk class has been updated to allow dairy processors to get the 4(m) permit price […] Read more

Dairy farmers must register to get further trade compensation payouts
Expect letters soon explaining process, AgMin says
Dairy farmers wanting to get in on a three-year, $1.405 billion federal compensation program for market share lost to free trade deals must register for the program by March 31 in each of those years. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Tuesday laid out further specifics for the Dairy Direct Payment Program, which is set to […] Read more

Lactalis to buy Agropur’s yogurt business
Deal to include two processing plants, major yogurt brands
Canadian dairy co-operative Agropur has reached a deal to sell its yogurt processing business and plants to the Canadian arm of French dairy giant Groupe Lactalis. The deal, as announced Thursday, will include Agropur’s plants at Granby, Que. and Delta, B.C. plus the operations at a distribution centre it leases at Longueuil, Que. Financial terms […] Read more

U.S. throws down CUSMA challenge on Canada’s dairy import limits
Filing challenges Canadian tariff rate quota reserved for processors
Five months and counting since the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement came into force, the U.S. government has launched a CUSMA challenge of how Canada applies tariff exemptions on dairy imports. U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday he has served Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng with written notice that the U.S. is “exercising its rights to […] Read more

Tighter timeline set for dairy farmers’ trade pact compensation
Feather sector compensation pledged with $691 million in programs
Compensation to Canada’s supply-managed farmers, to offset domestic market share dealt away in two recent free trade pacts, will now move more quickly to dairy farmers — and will take the form of new programs for feather sectors. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Saturday announced $1.405 billion in compensation, as pledged in August last […] Read more

Pandemic spurs farm gate milk price hike
Dairy Commission to lift price effective Feb. 1 next year
With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the Canadian Dairy Commission has set aside its usual milk price adjustment formula and will instead increase the price based on its own review. The CDC on Monday announced the farm gate price of milk will increase by $1.46 per hectolitre (100 litres) effective Feb. 1, 2021, pending approval […] Read more

Dairy farmers press feds on compensation promises, again
Canada’s dairy farmers are again calling on the federal government to make good on its promise to compensate producers, after giving up market share of the supply-managed industry to more foreign competitors through trade pacts. The Liberal government, most recently in its Sept. 23 speech from the throne, has told Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) […] Read more

Dairy cattle traceability system switched on
Lactanet's DairyTrace program now operational
Lactanet Canada’s centralized national system for management of dairy cattle traceability data has formally been plugged in. Guelph-based dairy herd management service provider Lactanet on Monday launched DairyTrace, which it says will operate alongside the traceability module of Dairy Farmers of Canada’s proAction initiative in providing “state-of-the-art traceback capabilities in the event of an emergency […] Read more