A new, national accreditation program focused on quality, food safety and animal welfare will be implemented on Manitoba’s dairy farms with financial support provided through Growing Forward 2. This announcement was made by Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn.
“Canada is a global leader when it comes to safe, nutritious and high-quality food,” said Minister Ritz. “Projects like these raise the bar for safety and quality in the dairy industry, further increase consumer confidence in Canadian agriculture and help our farmers continue to produce top-quality dairy products.”
The four-year, $525,000 project will put an integrated on-farm assessment and accreditation process in place for Manitoba’s dairy farms, which will result in them being recognized under the national proAction initiative. The focus on quality, safety and animal care will help ensure Manitoba milk will continue to be produced safely and responsibly.
“Dairy farms are an important part of Manitoba’s rural economy and these new measures will not only ensure the security of our milk supply, but also allow dairy producers to continue to provide the agricultural jobs that benefit our small towns and cities,” said Minister Kostyshyn.
The program will be implemented by the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM). As part of the process, milk quality audits and other on-farm assessments currently conducted by the provincial government will be combined with the proAction requirements into a single farm visit from DFM. Two new jobs will be created at the organization to support this work.
“Through proAction, dairy farmers in Manitoba and across Canada show their commitment to responsible stewardship of their animals and sustainably producing high quality, safe, and nutritious food for consumers,” said David Wiens, DFM chair.
Funding for this project is provided through Growing Forward 2 – Growing Assurance. In Manitoba, the federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.
There are more than 300 dairy farms in Manitoba, producing more than 320 million litres of milk annually. The farm-gate value of this industry, before additional value-added processing, is $264 million annually.
