The Milk Producer - November 2010 - (Page 28)

ISSUESUPDATE By Sharon Laidlaw and Bill Dimmick Fall Policy Highlights Dairy Farmers of Ontario Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) held its annual Fall (DFO) held its annual Fall Policy Conference recently Policy Conference recently near Alliston, Ont. Sessions near Alliston, Ont. Sessions were closed to the public were closed to the public and media. Assistant editor and media. Assistant editor Sharon Laidlaw and editor Sharon Laidlaw and editor Bill Dimmick compiled Bill Dimmick compiled these reports from these reports from interviews and discussion interviews and discussion papers made public after papers made public after the meeting. the meeting. Working together for progress I Processor spokesperson calls for seeking common ground with producers to grow industry f the industry is to overcome declining dairy product consumption and compete and thrive in a competitive marketplace, producers and processors need to work together to address key issues, Ontario Dairy Council (ODC) president Tom Kane told meeting delegates. For one, processors are concerned the volume of Ontario milk production in the last 10 years has remained stagnant, increasing only by 0.02 per cent. “Processors are most concerned with milk supply and cost, in terms of pricing and reducing expenses,” Kane said in an interview. “They can’t expand their businesses unless they can be assured of being supplied with the raw product. Based on the numbers, that’s not happening right now.” Processors are keen on developing new products to boost consumption, added Kane, but they require extra milk. Industry figures show per capita consumption has declined in several categories—fluid milk, ice cream, cheddar cheese and butter. “Price and milk supply are two limitations in developing new products,” he said. “Plants cannot go ahead and produce new products because of limited milk supplies.” Current programs to supply processors with milk for product development are either inflexible or expensive from a processor’s perspective, said Kane. More focus should be put on developing initiatives that will contribute to market growth. Revamping and modernizing the province’s regulatory framework is also paramount to industry success. “Ontario’s dairy industry is highly regulated, both federally and provincially. There are currently more than 50 acts or regulations processors 28 | November 2010 | MilkPRODUCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - November 2010

The Milk Producer - November 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Provincial Perspectives
Dairy Update
Farm Finance
DFC Promotion
Issues Update
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - November 2010