More than milk.
Farm, grocery store, breakfast table, restaurant kitchen; the list of places affected by BC’s dairy industry stretches further than freshly melted mozzarella (all across the province to be exact).
British Columbia is a great place to live, and BC’s dairy industry plays an important role in feeding and supporting its community. Dairy farmers work 365 days a year to provide high-quality, nutritious milk for local communities while caring for their animals and land.
BC dairy is made up of dairy producers, who operate farms and produce raw milk, and dairy processors, who take that raw milk and process it into a broad range of dairy products.
Dairy is one of several industries in Canada operating under a supply management system, where through production licenses, milk production is balanced on a regional basis with local consumption. Other supply-managed industries include the broiler chicken, broiler hatching egg, turkey, and table egg industries.
In addition to supplying milk, dairy farms support the local beef cattle industry. Male cattle and older milking cows which are no longer productive may be sold to cattle farms or beef processors.
BC dairy farmers supply milk to two main markets: fluid milk, and dairy products like yogurt, cheese, ice cream and butter. Milk sold to the fluid milk market represents approximately 40 percent of total milk production, and approximately 60 percent of milk produced is used to manufacture other dairy products.
Dairy’s contribution to prosperity for BC reaches far beyond the Fraser Valley and provides jobs and generates revenue for BC’s rural sector as well. By generating economic activity, dairy helps sustain our province’s infrastructure.
In addition to creating economic impacts, the industry creates broader social and environmental contributions to BC. These contributions include:
Farm, grocery store, breakfast table, restaurant kitchen; the list of places affected by BC’s dairy industry stretches further than freshly melted mozzarella (all across the province to be exact).
Dairy farms in BC
Milking cows per farm (on average)
Jobs in BC supported by the dairy industry
Billion dollars contribution to BC’s economy (GDP)
Million litres of milk produced in BC annually
Locally produced food is important to British Columbians, and milk is truly locally produced. While the majority of BC’s dairy farms are located in the Fraser Valley, they can be found in seven of BC’s agricultural regions.
Ever wondered what it’s like on a dairy farm in BC? These local farms welcome visitors.