Boosted by the first quota increases since the last free trade deal was signed, BC dairy producers have set their sights on market growth in the years ahead.
A focus on attracting processor investment is key, with two major processing plants on the horizon locally and the Canadian Dairy Production Council eyeing niche markets that could add $1.4 billion annually to the sector’s national revenues.
But collaboration is key, Western Dairy Council president Dan Wong told the BC Dairy Industry Conference in Vancouver last week.
“The rise of collaboration over the past couple of years has been very noticeable in the industry,” he said. “It is absolutely welcome.”
Wong gave a shout-out to producers in the four Western provinces for seeking a closer relationship through the Western Milk Pool.
“The intent is very much appreciated,” he says, noting a desire to work more closely with dairy processors.
But there’s plenty of work to do to establish a more collaborative structure.
“It has to go to the underlying policy process of our industry,” he says. “The processors’ role needs to be embedded in industry institutions and policy-making processors.”
Wong went so far as to call for a fresh understanding of supply management as “supply chain management.”
“Producers must be financially viable,” he said. “This is not lost on the dairy processors. It’s also important to understand that dairy processors must be financially viable, too. … The financial health of the industry depends on the health of the entire dairy supply chain.”
This will be even more true as the industry faces uncertainties from the New Zealand trade challenge and the policies the incoming Trump administration in the US is threatening.
“We understand there are headwinds out there but we can be, and we should be, confident about our future – if we work together,” Wong says.
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