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58 WC DAIRY NEWS  CHRISTMAS 2024
Highlights of BC Fall Producer Meetings
Amanda Poelman
Vancouver Island’s Fall Producer Meeting was held
October 24th in Nanaimo, BC. The day kicked off
with the Island Milk Producers Organization (IMPO)
meeting, chaired by president Luke Van Huizen.
Highlighted items included Annabelle Faustino
winning the IMPO annual scholarship, the need for
an Island Emergency Contact person as part of the
BC Agriculture Council’s Emergency Operations
project, and Ben Cuthbert’s candidacy for the Milk
Board. Ben, who has served on the BCMMB before,
shared his interest to return to the position is
largely driven by “the erosion of producer returns
over the past four years.” Luke encouraged all
island producers to vote, stating that having a
voice from the Island at the table is very beneficial.
BC Milk Marketing Board
Janice Comeau, Chair of the BC Milk Marketing
Board (BCMMB), highlighted the positives from
the last year. Strong demand for dairy products in
BC, lower inflation rates than other food sources,
declining interest rates, and declining input costs
for BC producers are all things that need to be
celebrated. She noted, “More work still needs
to be done,” as the Board continues to pursue
cost sharing at the national board level. She also
highlighted the need to have better engagement
with BC producers.
Kevin Mammel, Board Member, gave an in-depth
visual presentation of the successes the dairy
industry has seen recently. Class 1 fluid milk is
in high demand, with big increases in sales for
yogurt, butter, and cream products. There have
been large increases of fluid milk produced in the
Western Milk Pool, while the retail sales of dairy
alternatives have steadily declined.
Zahra Abdalla-Shamji, Director of Policy &
Industry Affairs, gave insight into three streams
of investment being pursued by the Board. While
some policies have been approved and some have
not, all of them encourage innovation as well as
accountability between processors and producers
when it comes to milk surplus.
Regional updates were given on the status of
the Western Milk Pool, which has gone back to
provincial decision-making, while still collaborating
as a group and having a unified voice nationally.
Janice concluded that producers should stay
optimistic, as she often gets asked, “What does
BC need?” at the national milk board level. She
is incredibly happy with the quality of applicants
coming through the ‘New Entrant Program’ (NEP)
in this province, adding to the 427 total producers.
“The Milk Board knows that cost continues to be a
huge issue for BC,” she says, “We have not lost sight
of that and continue to fight for equity.”
BC Dairy Update
Casey Pruim, Chairman of BC Dairy Association,
along with General Manager Jeremy Dunn,
welcomed everyone to the meeting. A detailed
update about the progress of the Dairy Innovation
West (DIW) plant in Blackfalds, Alberta, was given
by Mark Van Klei, Western Milk Pool and DIW
representative. “The outside has been completed,
the signage is up, and the focus has turned to the
state-of-the-art equipment being installed inside,”
says Mark. The commissioning of the new milk
concentration facility and its official opening date
is still on track for May 2025.
The BC Dairy Industry Conference will be providing
further details on the upcoming BCMMB election,
advocacy projects like the “No Food Without Water”
campaign, the agriculture platform launched the
by Conversative party, and the status of the HPAI
virus.
Casey Pruim, Chair – BC Dairy Association.
Luke Van Huizen, President
Island Milk Producers Organization.
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