CANADIAN QUALITY MILK PROGRAM TO BENEFIT DAIRY FARMERS AND CONSUMERS

OTTAWA, ON, August 18, 2005 – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has signed a contribution agreement with Dairy Farmers of Canada to help implement the organization’s Canadian Quality Milk program.

The Canadian Quality Milk program builds on Canada's excellent reputation for safe and high-quality milk by helping dairy farmers set up standardized food safety systems on their farms.

AAFC is contributing $2.6 million to this initiative under the On-Farm Implementation component of the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program.

“We’re committed to working with all provinces and industry groups to put systems in place that will raise consumer confidence in the safety and high-quality of food produced in Canada,” said Minister Andy Mitchell. “I’m pleased that Dairy Farmers of Canada is taking advantage of the opportunity to promote safe and high quality milk through this important initiative.”

The Canadian Quality Milk program is based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, which is recognized internationally as an effective method for identifying and minimizing safety risks in food production. Under the program, producers can access up to $850 worth of benefits for workshops and on-farm support. On-farm support includes one-on-one technical advice at the farm level and/or the purchase of specialized equipment required by the producer to implement HACCP-based safety systems.

“Canadian milk is already known to be extremely safe and of high quality,” said Dairy Farmers of Canada President Jacques Laforge. “We are committed to maintaining this high standard and demonstrating this to our consumers. We’re very pleased that AAFC is supporting the implementation of this important program, which benefits all Canadians.”

Dairy Farmers of Canada applied to AAFC for funding on behalf all provincial dairy organizations. Producers are able to access these funds and participate in workshops through these provincial organizations.

Those wishing further information should visit Dairy Farmers of Canada’s website at http://www.dairyfarmers.org/.

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(Authored and distributed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)