Ingratta heads dairy commission

Bob Ingratta is back in the dairy industry.

Ingratta was CEO of the BC Milk Marketing Board for almost six years, from December 2011 to March 2017. Three years later, he has been appointed as the new chair of the Canadian Dairy Commission.

Saying strong leadership is required in the coming year, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau called Ingratta’s “depth of knowledge and experience in agriculture and corporate governance … valuable assets to the CDC.”

Ingratta is the second BC resident in a row to lead the CDC. He follows in the footsteps of outgoing chair Alistair Johnston. Johnston is also an appointed director of the BC Chicken Marketing Board.

“I am honoured to help the industry work through changes as CDC delivers service on many fronts,” Ingratta said.

CDC’s main responsibilities are to set the support price of butter and skim milk powder and to monitor national milk production and demand and recommend adjustments to the national production target for industrial milk.

The immediate issue facing the Canadian dairy industry is how to replace Class 7, established under the national ingredient strategy, which the industry lost during negotiation of the new Canada-US-Mexico free trade agreement (CUSMA).

CUSMA has yet to take effect. It has been ratified by both Mexico and the US, but awaits ratification by Canada.