Canadian dairy and the Blue Cow Quality Milk certification logo stand out because of farmers’ commitments to quality, animal care, environmental sustainability and food safety. Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) shares the story behind these commitments in its new three-episode podcast mini-series, The Value of proAction.
On the podcast, hosts Julia Saraceni and Steve Roche talk to farmers, program specialists and industry leaders to learn more about how proAction has evolved from focusing on on-farm food safety to gradually reflecting the broader needs, expectations and values of today’s dairy industry.
Strengthening dairy’s connection with customers
Canadians think about the entire supply chain when grocery shopping: food safety, animal welfare, labour practices and environmental impact. Dairy is no exception, and these pressures affect processors, who must consistently meet the needs of both retailers and dairy consumers who recognize their brand.
Retailers need assurances that the dairy products they purchase use milk produced according to high, consistent standards that coincide with larger corporate social responsibility goals on which the retailer’s reputation stands.
Many international processors' social and environmental commitments are in line with those required by proAction, which positions Canadian dairy as an attractive choice.
“We set ourselves an ambitious trajectory … to decrease our CO2 emissions coming from milk by 50 percent,” said Cristine LaForest, CEO of Group Bel Canada, which produces well-known dairy products such as Babybel, the Laughing Cow and Boursin cheeses. “Without you [Canada’s dairy farmers], we will not attain these objectives. These retailers are really asking for this. Because for them, they have their own targets.”
Through proAction, farmers across Canada readily adhere to standards that address consumer and processor expectations. This reassures consumers that environmental stewardship, animal care and food production best practices are consistently applied as a standard.
“We know that our target loves dairy, but they have questions, and those questions arise around what dairy farmers do and on-farm practices,” said Pamela Nalewajek, chief marketing and communications officer at DFC, on the third episode of the podcast. “The certification logo performs at some of the levels of top Canadian brands, and … nine in 10 Canadians recognize what it stands for. Behind what it stands for are standards, and those standards are proAction.”
Back when DFC was developing this program, they observed how, in other countries, the absence of a countrywide standard resulted in consumers, processors and retailers creating their own range of expectations.
For example, in Australia in the 1990s, “Farmers were actually being asked to do different programs depending on where their milk was being shipped,” Nicole Sillett, DFC’s director of sustainability and on-farm services, told The Value of proAction. This led to years of more on-farm inspections, paperwork and redundancies.
“DFC, taking all that into account, really wanted to develop one national program with farmers leading the process to make sure we had some level of control over the content and practical application, and to make sure we were ready for what we thought was coming,” Sillett said.
Quality assurance: More than just a buzzword
Since proAction was designed by and for Canadian farmers, it focuses on addressing the needs of the supply chain while balancing on-farm practicality and continuous improvement. This farmer-led approach also helps refine processes and boost on-farm productivity.
“There's a lot of effort. Keeping this program as efficient as possible with as little duplication and overlap as possible,” said DFC President David Wiens, guest on the second episode of The Value of proAction. “The program has to have credibility to farmers, to our customers [the processors] and finally the end consumers.”
“People tend to not like change, but change is happening all the time,” said Ron Maynard, a farmer from PEI, on the first episode of The Value of proAction. “The consumer today is quite different from the consumer 20 years ago. We have to look at that continuing change.”
With proAction serving as a unified foundation, Canadian dairy is well-positioned to illustrate continuous improvement and implement necessary changes to keep pace with industry shifts, thereby strengthening the sector's profitability.
Ready to dive in? Check out The Value of proAction podcast mini-series on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify by searching “DFC PLC.”
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canadian dairy producers. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the dairy sector in our country. It also seeks to maintain policies that promote the sustainability of Canadian dairy production and promote dairy products and their health benefits. Visit DFC’s website for more information.
