Billions of Litres of Canadian Milk Were Dumped in Past 12 Years: Study

Dairy cows are seen at a farm in Sainte-Marie-Madelaine, Que. on Aug. 31, 2018. The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz

More than six billion litres of milk has been discarded on Canadian dairy farms since 2012, according to a newly released study.

“Systemic inefficiencies” in Canada’s supply management system have led to between 6.8 billion and 10 billion litres of milk being dumped out over the past 12 years, says the study published in the journal Ecological Economics. Valued at as much as $14.9 billion, the dumped milk accounts for roughly 7 percent of milk produced on dairy farms during that time period.

The report, which was co-authored by Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab scientific director Sylvain Charlebois, said the wasted product was a “nutritional and economic loss” that could have provided enough milk each year to supply 11 percent of the Canadian population.

“In terms of lost nutrition, discarded milk represents 298–611 million lost kilo-calories,” Charlebois wrote along with co-authors Thomas Elliot, an environmental scientist from Denmark, and Benjamin Goldstein, an environment and sustainability professor at the University of Michigan and former lecturer at McGill University.

“This equates to throwing out the recommended annual dairy intake for between 3.0 and 6.1 million Canadians.”

The study’s authors estimated total milk production at dairy farms by multiplying the average annual milk yield per cow lactation (not counting milk consumed by calves) by the total head of dairy cattle in Canada. The calculations were then made based on the assumption that dairy cows produce milk 305 days a year.

The Dairy Farmers of Canada, an organization representing roughly 10,000 Canadian dairy farms, has expressed doubts about the accuracy of the findings.

“The authors of the study acknowledge that much of their conclusions are drawn from ‘estimates’ rather than a robust data set,” Dairy Farmers of Canada CEO Jacques Lefebvre said in an emailed statement. “These data assumptions and calculations would need to be validated independently.”

Canadian Milk Disposal

Milk disposal is not an issue unique to Canada. The study noted other countries with large dairy industries, such as the United States, New Zealand, and members of the European Union, also deal with milk waste.

Lefebvre said milk supply management is aligned to the needs of the domestic market. When a surplus occurs, it is often linked to supply chain issues, he said.

“Milk is disposed of only as a last resort after exploring all other alternatives,” Lefebvre told The Epoch Times. “This is done in accordance with regulations and the costs are borne by the dairy farmers.”

Canada stands out among major dairy-producing nations due to its dairy supply management system, the study says. The objective of the system is to match milk supply and demand by regulating the quantity of milk available through production quotas established by provincial dairy boards.

“The intent of the system is to support farmers and provide dependable domestic milk and butterfat supplies,” the authors said. “However, supply always outstrips demand because cow lactation is variable and dairy farmers are incentivized to exceed their quota and discard excess milk rather than underproduce and lose revenue.”

Recommendations

The study’s researchers said it is time for reform in the dairy sector to limit milk waste. Recommendations include the implementation of penalties for overproduction and measures to improve transparency. This could involve requiring the industry to provide reports on surplus milk production and waste management, the authors said.

The authors also suggest revising dairy quotas to better fit with market demand and to take into account the increasing popularity of plant-based milks. They said the quota system is based on an “antiquated notion that milk is a staple of a nutritious diet.”

The Dairy Farmers of Canada countered this point in a press release, saying there is “abundant” scientific evidence that demonstrates that milk products can be a part of a healthy diet.

“Milk products continue to play a valuable role in helping Canadians make healthy-eating decisions on a daily basis,” Dairy Farmers of Canada director of nutrition and research Isabelle Neiderer said in the press release.

“The scientific evidence supporting the nutritional benefits of milk products in the promotion of bone health and prevention of chronic diseases … is stronger than ever, and new evidence continues to accumulate.”