Highlights
- June 1 marks World Milk Day
- This World Milk Day is a time to recognize our domestic dairy industry and thank a Canadian dairy farmer for their hard work
Every morning, thousands of dairy farming families are up at the crack of dawn to provide Canadians with high quality and nutritious milk. They do so from sunrise and way past sundown.
June 1 marks World Milk Day. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and passion that fuel dairy production here at home, so that Canadians can enjoy fresh milk by the glass, or in their everyday foods, knowing that Canadian milk is nutritious and of high quality.
Milk production is not without its challenges. The last three years have demonstrated the fragility of our supply chain, impacting almost every commodity that provide consumers with the products they expect to find on their grocery shelves. However, through these trying times, dairy farmers remained resilient to ensure that Canada’s supply of milk remained consistent and dependable.
We are proud of the work we do every day to feed Canadian families and contribute to the Canadian economy. Our sector employs over 195,000 workers with good paying jobs. These family farms are the bedrock of many of Canada’s rural communities, and have been for generations.
Most Canadian dairy farms are passed down from one generation to the next, therefore farmers have had a real interest in sustaining their land and sector for the long run. They understand the deep importance of the nutritional and health benefits of Canadian dairy products, while acknowledging their responsibility as stewards of the land. Dairy farmers have been adopting and investing in innovative, sustainable practices that will help us meet our sector’s ambitious climate change targets, and will help ensure that we have become net-zero by 2050.
To help farmers along the way, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has developed its Best Management Practices (BMP) Guide to Mitigate Emissions on Dairy Farms, with practices that will contribute to ensure a sustainable future for our industry, for consumers and for our planet. Already, dairy farmers commitment to be good stewards of the land has had a positive impact. Between 1990 and 2020, the carbon footprint of milk produced in Canada decreased by 25 per cent on a per-litre basis.
On World Milk Day, there’s no better time to recognize the importance of dairy products to a healthy, balanced diet because of the high-quality proteins. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently released a report which confirms scientifically what we already know: milk is a crucial source of much-needed nutrients that can’t be easily obtained from plant-based foods. The report reiterates that getting these essential nutrients is even more important during key life stages: pregnancy, childhood, adolescence and older age.
That UN study, based on data from more than 500 scientific papers and 250 policy documents, is the most comprehensive analysis to date on the health and nutritional benefits of consuming animal-sourced foods.
This World Milk Day is a time to recognize our domestic dairy industry and thank a Canadian dairy farmer for their hard work. From high quality milk, to tackling climate change, and employing people all across rural communities, dairy farmers are doing their part for a strong economy, a healthy and sustainable future.
Pierre Lampron
President, Dairy Farmers of Canada