Highlights
- The theme for World Milk Day 2022 is “sustainability in the dairy sector, as well as environmental, nutritional, and socioeconomic empowerment.”
- Dairy Farmers of Canada is proud to take part in these celebrations and honour the Canadian dairy farmers who deliver on this promise every day.
A day like World Milk Day provides an opportunity to go beyond the glass of milk, the melted cheese or refreshing ice cream. To see the significant efforts to make these products sustainable; environmentally, economically, socially and more.
Earlier this year, Dairy Farmers of Canada announced the goal of attaining net-zero emissions on dairy farms by 2050. This goal reflects a world-wide commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of dairy production, and Canadian farmers have already made major progress.
Between 1990 and 2019 Canadian dairy farmers reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 24 per cent/ litre of milk; today that footprint is less than half the global average for dairy production.
Social sustainability is another measure of success and dairy farmers are proud to support efforts around healthy eating, community development and the environment. From school lunch programs and foodbanks to working with sustainability organizations like Cleanfarms, Tree Canada, and Ducks Unlimited Canada, to the creation of thousands of jobs from on-farm, to transport to processing, dairy production is an essential part of communities large and small across the country. Consuming Canadian milk and dairy products supports all of these social and community efforts.
Canadian consumers can feel confident knowing that by buying Canadian milk, they are supporting:
- Local farmers and more than 178,000 full-time jobs that bring milk and dairy products to their local stores;
- An industry that takes environmental sustainability seriously and has set challenging but attainable targets for reducing on-farm emissions;
- Farmers and organizations that work towards reducing plastic waste, increasing the number of trees and green environments that can store carbon, increasing biodiversity and natural areas and are finding ways to reduce or reuse manure to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- Health and nutrition for the next generation with school milk programs and foodbank donations;
- An industry that provides nutrient rich, healthy products which make up an important part of a balanced diet.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization initiated World Milk Day to shine a light on the importance of milk as a global food. We’re thrilled to participate to help bring attention to the positive contributions of our sector.
Join dairy farmers around the world in raising a glass on social media June 1st. Post your picture with the hashtags #WorldMilkDay, #EnjoyDairy and #Journéemondialedulait as well as DFC hashtags #Laitcanadienequalite and #qualitycanadianmilk.
From my family and I, happy World Milk Day 2022!
Pierre Lampron
Pierre Lampron is the president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. Together with his family, he operates a dairy farm in Saint-Boniface in the Mauricie region of Québec.
