The overall proAction initiative has been developed, with the help of various experts and stakeholders in recent years.

“Dairy farmers are innovative and forward-looking,” says Wally Smith, DFC president. “They realize there is a need to address the modern day consumers who have expectations about how their food is produced. With proAction, farmers are proactively demonstrating that they share the same values as consumers and they respect high standards for quality, with care for animals and environment.”

In recent years, dairy farmers have made improvements in various on-farm criteria. Worth noting is that all farmers have invested to improve milk quality to keep up with the highest standards in the world. Just to improve quality, farmers have invested over $75 million and have collaborated with their veterinarians and various stakeholders.

In recent years, $28 million was spent on time-temperature recorders that provide huge benefits to safeguarding milk safety and quality, and another $50 million a year on products like mattresses and brushes that improve the comfort of cows in barns.

Over 97 percent of Canadian dairy farms have successfully undergone validation of the on-food safety program, Canadian Quality Milk (CQM), with remaining farms expected to do so within the next few months. This program has also been recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for its technical soundness in meeting the HACCP principles of on-farm food safety programs.

It is estimated that $200 million will be invested in future years on the implementation of proAction, to demonstrate the commitment to continuous improvement of sustainability and quality on Canadian dairy farms.

Taking stock of the overall progress that is made with proAction is important. To this end, a new proAction website provides information about the current objectives. It will track the progress made towards the evolving targets.  PD

—From Dairy Farmers of Canada news release