Dairy Farmers of Canada’s AGM closes with a continued commitment to strengthen the dairy industry for the next generation

Prince Edward Island hosted dairy farmer delegates from across the country at the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s (DFC) annual general meeting on July 12th and 13th. Farmers participated in a series of dairy industry discussions and conference sessions, and reinforced their commitment to strengthen and grow Canada’s dairy industry for the next generation of dairy farmers and Canadians.

“We take great pride in feeding our fellow Canadians, taking care of the land, contributing to the economy, and being active participants in our local communities,” said Wally Smith, in his president’s address. “Whether it be investing in our farms; transitioning to new technology; or committing to cutting edge sustainability programs like proAction – everything we do today, we are doing to position our sector for an even brighter future for those to come.”

Mr. Smith took the opportunity to contrast Canada’s supply managed system with what is going on in the rest of the global dairy sector. “Supply management is a good agricultural policy. Everywhere else around the world, deregulation hasn’t delivered; the countries that are coping the best have strong domestic markets,” said Mr. Smith. On the other hand, “The Canadian system remains strong, the sector is growing, and the future is promising,” added Mr. Smith.

“We believe in our system, consumers believe in our system, and we are committed to strengthening the dairy industry for future generations, because Canadian milk matters,” he concluded.

The two-day event also included opportunities for dairy farmers to network with other farmers and industry partners. Among the various presentations, a focus was dedicated to DFC’s 2017 Business Plan, featuring DFC’s new vision, mission and values, and DFC’s 2017 Strategic Plan, which included the new logo that will be finalized in the coming months.

Invited speakers and AGM sponsors – David Clanachan from Tim Horton’s, Adam Vervoort from the Bank of Montreal and Faith Matchett from Farm Credit Canada –conveyed their support for dairy farmers, and Dr. Leigh Rosengren discussed antimicrobial resistance with farmer leaders in a separate session.