September 21, 2017

Canadian dairy sustainability initiative, called proAction, has officially entered the next phase, with dairy farmers now required to keep additional records about the care and traceability of their animals on the farm.

ProAction started in 2013, which aimed to build on the successful Canadian track record for milk quality and food safety, and add the verification of various sustainability metrics over the years.

"As dairy farmers, we are very proud to collectively demonstrate responsible stewardship of our animals and land, sustainably producing milk and meat that are high-quality, safe and nutritious. Treating our animals well, and providing excellent care, is one of the highest priorities of the Canadian dairy sector", said David Wiens, DFC vice president and chair of the proAction committee.

According to Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), the proAction initiative documents credible metrics and independently validates each farm to prove to customers that farmers do things right. For example, Holstein Canada has already conducted cattle assessments on over 20% of farms, one of the steps of the new Animal Care module, which is based on the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle.

By September 2019, all farms will have undergone this official independent assessment, a validation and have record-keeping, on top of good management practices. "These additional steps confirm that farmers measure their progress to continue to farm sustainably", DFC said.

DFC stressed that the ability to trace the animals and their whereabouts "is key to maintaining the confidence of Canadians in our sector".

In Canada, all cattle have been systematically ear-tagged since the federal regulations came into force in 2001 and 99% of dairy farms have a premises identification number.