The Canadian dairy industry and statistics
* Today there are 13,214 Canadian farms with a little over one million cows. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, more than 40% of the milk sold off farms was used to make butter and the range of other products was limited to items like drinking milk, cream concentrated milk and cheese. Today’s consumer has a considerable number and variety of products to choose from.
* The dairy industry generates employment for 160,000 Canadians, making it one of the largest employers in agriculture.
* Another 28,200 jobs are created through the sale of goods and services to dairy farmers. These include feed, machinery, veterinary and breeding services, transportation and promotion. The dairy processing industry generates directly and indirectly another 74,300 jobs through processing, packaging, transportation, handling, marketing and inspection, to name a few.
* Close to 452 processing plants transform milk into a thousand products.
* The dairy industry adds a net $9.7 billion to the Canadian Gross Domestic Product.
* Milk sales from Canadian farms are valued at $5.3 (2008) billion dollars.
* The gross sale of processed dairy products is valued at $13.1 billion (2008), representing 15% of the Canadian food and beverage sector.
* There are dairy farms in every province in Canada contributing not only to the Canadian economy but also the provincial and local ones too.
The Canadian dairy farm
* Canadian dairy farms are independent family-owned and operated businesses. Most have been passed on from generation to generation, in all regions of Canada. The average dairy farm in Canada has a herd of about 72 cows and provides one or two full-time jobs plus seasonal employment.
* Dairy farmers sell an average of 7.6 billion litres of milk annually.
* Farmers choose to work with animals because they enjoy it.
* Farmers must respect the laws on animal care too.
* There are six common dairy breeds, including Holstein, Jersey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey and Milking Shorthorn. Holsteins, at more than 93% of dairy cows, are the most popular and are black and white in colour.
* The Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle meets or exceeds the majority of the standards of humane livestock treatment expected by the food industry and society.
* Dairy farmers are committed to providing top-notch care to their animals. Nutritious diets, healthy living conditions and good veterinary care are among the many practices of dairy farmers to ensure a herd of healthy cows.
* On many Canadian dairy farms, cows move between the barn and other parts of the farm for milking, feeding and grazing outside in nice weather.
* Comfort, clean water and good nutrition are essential to maintain healthy cows.
* Cows eat a balanced diet of forage (pasture, silage, hay) and grains (barley, com, soya, other) with supplements to maintain optimum health and production of quality milk.
* Farmers have reduced the amount of land and other resources required for milk production as they adapt technology and management practices to improvements in animal genetics, feeding and nutrition, equipment and technology, and overall management practices. The efficiency gains made contributed greatly to a reduction of their impact on the environment; carbon emissions from Canadian dairy farms were reduced by over 25% between 1981 and 2006.
Dairy products and their health benefits
* Milk products are an important part of a healthy diet. They provide a unique balance of up to 16 essential nutrients our body needs each day to meet our nutritional needs and stay healthy.
* Unfortunately, two-thirds of Canadians are not getting the recommended number of servings every day.
* Canadian milk is free of artificial growth hormones. Canada has never allowed the use of BST (Bovine Somatotropic Hormone – a synthetic bovine growth hormone).
* Canadian milk is antibiotic free. Milk from cows treated with antibiotics is discarded.
* It is well known that the contribution of milk, yogurt and cheese to the overall quality of the average Canadian diet is substantial.
* Milk is an excellent source of protein which helps build and repair body tissues, including bones, and builds antibodies which fight infection.
* In addition to having a high water content, chocolate milk also provides a combination of carbohydrates and protein that helps recovery and rehydration following exercise.
* Many scientific studies have demonstrated that a balanced diet, with adequate milk products, can help achieve and maintain a healthy weight, keep our blood pressure in check, and lower our risk for some diseases such as colon cancer and osteoporosis.
SOURCE: metronews.ca
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