Dairy farming in Canada
The over-quota tariffs are set at levels where practically no dairy products are sold to Canada above the quotas.
These challenges led to the creation of the Canadian Dairy Commission, whose mandate was to ensure the quality and supply of milk, that producers received a "fair" return on investment, and set prices based on production costs, market price, consumer's ability to pay, and current economic conditions.
[20] A wider discussion was sparked about dairy in Canada, with strong opinions about the use of palmitic oil from some such as Professor Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie University.
[22][23][24][25][26] The government of Canada put in place a supply management system during the early 1970's as an effort to reduce the surplus in production that had become common in the 1950s and 1960s and to "ensure" a fair return for farmers.
[8] Each farm owns a number of shares in the market (quota), and is required to increase or decrease production according to consumer demand.
Because production is in sync with demand, farmers avoid overproduction and earn a predictable and stable revenue, directly from the market.
[13] Canadian dairy farmers follow regulations outlined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure proper oversight of dairy production to ensure biosecurity standards are maintained in the sectors of environmental protection, human health, animal health, and animal welfare.
[36] The main welfare issues regarding Canadian dairy production include the immediate separation of calves from their mothers, the isolation and confinement of male calves, various painful invasive procedures, lameness, confined living conditions, rough handling practices, stressful transportation environments, pre-slaughter conditions, and the slaughter itself.
[41] According to the Canadian Veterinary Welfare Association, dairy cows that are considered to be of low or reduced economic value are removed (culled) from the herd for a variety of reasons including reproductive issues (e.g., fertility), low milk production, mastitis, lameness, and other forms of ill-health.
Cull dairy cows may be in poor condition and as such may be at greater risk of suffering during standard transport and slaughter.
[49] The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture is currently in favour of dehorning and disbudding, stating that it provides economic benefits and increases safety.
[51] No dairy industry practices are prohibited in the Criminal Code of Canada, including painful invasive procedures done without the use of painkillers.
Continued non-compliance results in progressive penalties, such as fines, and eventually results in suspension of milk pickup [54] The Canadian dairy industry is responsible for 20% of total green house gas (GHG) emissions generated in Canada by livestock agriculture, which is made up of the dairy, poultry, swine and beef industry.
Consequently, the Eastern provinces of Canada contribute to 78.5% of GHG emissions created by the Canadian dairy farming industry.
Canadian dairy farmers commonly feed their cattle corn or barley silage as high nutrient food sources to increase milk production.
[56] Despite the decrease in GHG in utilizing corn feed for Canadian dairy farms, when examining processing and transportation costs of feed for Canadian dairy farms, corn silage production is responsible for a 9% increase in CO2 compared to the processing and transportation costs associated with barley silage production.
The goal of a TMR is to make every bite a cow eats the exact same so their feed intake can monitored and adjusted accordingly.
Organic Canadian dairy farms have been shown to have a lower overall cost of production and are more self-sufficient in terms of plant and animal nutrient recycling and restocking of livestock herds.
