Dairy quota rules change

New rules that come into play in December will govern exchanges of dairy quota taking place on or after January 1, 2025.

The changes, which aim for an exchange model that reflects current market conditions, were approved by BC Milk Marketing Board on September 6 and announced in a bulletin to producers this week.

A key change is the ditching of a rule that set price increases based on a formula linked to demand over three consecutive quota exchange periods.

The length of time required to trigger changes in price was seen as restrictive. By ditching the rule, the new quota exchange system promises “the economics of supply and demand will determine the movement of the monthly quota transfer price.”

The board has also removed the requirement for producers to offer a minimum volume for sale, again to ensure a more responsive exchange model.

A policy regarding priority sellers – producers exiting the industry – has been removed to accommodate producers who want to sell quota for any reason, again allowing the quota exchange to reflect actual market conditions in terms of the amount of quota available for purchase.

The removal of the minimum volume and priority seller criteria underscore the desire for a more flexible quota exchange model for producers trying to right-size their operations in the face of ongoing cost of production pressures. The changes were discussed at producer meetings last winter, with a majority of producers in favour of an exchange system that was more responsive to the market forces of supply and demand.

The new exchange model will adjust pricing by no more than $1,000 each month within a core range of $30,000 to $40,000 per kilogram, determined by reviewing transfer prices over the last 14 years and forecasting future values that could support the longevity of the dairy industry.

Transfer prices outside the core range will adjust by $100 as they diverge from the core range and then by $1,000 when prices start heading back towards the core range.

The changes will be discussed at the BC Milk Marketing Board fall producer meetings, which begin October 24 in Nanaimo and wrap up November 7 in Prince George.

An online discussion will be held November 1 via Zoom.

All content on this website is copyrighted, and cannot be republished or reproduced without permission.

1 hour ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

View Comments

Likes: 2
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

4 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 7
Shares: 0
Comments: 0

5 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 17
Shares: 1
Comments: 0

Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 7
Shares: 1
Comments: 3

There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.

The annual potato variety trial in Delta on August 27 attracted more than 300 people from across Canada, with Bill Zylmans of the BC Potato and Vegetable Growers Association declaring it a gathering of "the extended potato family." With the expansion of BCPVGA's mandate to a host of field vegetable growers, the field day was a chance to network, learn and understand issues across the vegetable sector. BC agriculture minister Lana Popham and Delta South MLA Ian Paton were on hand for the event at Lundstrum Farms on Westham Island, with both applauding efforts to restore bridge access to the island earlier this year to ensure production was unimpeded. Results of the trials will be published in the new year once seasonal data has been collated and analyzed.

#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

Likes: 25
Shares: 1
Comments: 1

Lana Popham is the hardest working MLA in the province, I don’t agree with the NDP policies, however I do recognize a hard working MLA…thanks for what you do