Canada’s milk production closely matches consumer demand. Nearly all milk produced on Canada’s dairy farms makes it to market, according to the Canadian Dairy Commission.
As small business owners, farmers have no economic incentive to produce excess milk. Caring for each cow requires resources, time, money, feed and effort, so a key part of a farmer’s work is to optimize milk production and avoid wasting resources.
People all along the chain, from dairy farmers to milk truck drivers and processors, work hard to ensure that the high-quality milk produced on farms everyday gets to processing plants and made into the dairy products we all enjoy.
On the farm
That said, there is milk that stays on the farm. For example, some milk is required to nourish calves. To respect the high-quality standard of milk they ship, farmers must also dump milk from a cow that seems sick or is being treated with medicine. In rare instances, milk may be lost and disposed of, on the farm, if weather events make it impossible to transport milk to a processing plant.
At the processor
When a processing plant needs to suspend milk delivery to do infrastructure maintenance or if there is a labour dispute, the provincial marketing board does its best to find another plant to process and package milk. Finally, in the rare case the plant finds that the milk does not meet Canada’s strict standards, the milk is safely disposed of. In such cases, the cost of rejected milk is borne by the farmer, upon retracing.
Wherever possible, the sector finds other uses for milk components or any by-products that are left after milk is transformed in various products. They can be used in feed for farm animals, mixed in with organic fertilizer (manure) for fields, or put in biodigesters with other organic matter to create energy.
Principles to prevent food loss and waste
From farmers and food processors to restaurants, retailers, and consumers, everyone has a role to play in helping to manage food loss and food waste.
According to organizations such as the United Nations, food loss happens early in the food supply chain, before the food is ready for consumers, while food waste is what happens when food ready for humans to eat is discarded.
Canadian dairy farmers work under supply management, which aligns the amount of milk produced with the quantity needed to meet the demand of our Canadian consumers. This alignment fits with well-established solutions on reducing food loss from the Government of Canada and other experts working in this area. The first principle is to reduce or avoid unwanted production.
Other questions:
How long does it take for milk to leave the farm and be on shelves in stores?
Are milk quality standards better today than they were a few years ago?
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References
The Canadian Dairy Commission, The Journey of Milk, accessed August 26, 2026
R. Gervais & al., Why not use lactose surplus from dairy processors to feed cows? Progressive Dairy, January 8, 2026
Government of Canada – Food Loss and Waste, accessed August 26, 2026
United Nations, International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction, accessed August 26, 2026
