The Government of Canada is announcing over $7.5 million to Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) to help support sustainable development in the dairy industry. This funding is provided through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
Through this Cluster, DFC will undertake research which will provide solutions to improve the environmental and economic sustainability, and resilience of the Canadian dairy industry. To achieve these goals, DFC will develop and implement plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon, improve the health and welfare of cows and the quality of milk produced.
The Cluster consist of research activities that focus on AgriScience Program priority areas: Climate Change and Environment; Economic Growth and Development; and Industry Resilience and Societal Changes. The outcomes are intended to help the industry achieve its goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production by 2050. The goals of the funded activities also contribute to the Government of Canada’s climate change mitigation, economic growth and industry resilience priorities.
The Government of Canada is also announcing new information regarding the fifth compensation payment for dairy producers under the Dairy Direct Payment Program (DDPP). From 2019-2023, the first four payments were made available totalling $1.75 billion in compensation to account for the impacts of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This fifth payment will begin compensation of up to $1.2 billion over six years to account for the impacts of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Canadian dairy makes an important contribution to the economy, with billions of dollars in sales and tens of thousands of jobs. The industry continues to innovate to help meet the demand for dairy products, while strengthening practices to remain competitive and sustainable. The Government of Canada will continue to provide the support and tools needed to keep the industry well-positioned for the future.
