THE FOUNDATIONS OF ONTARIO’S RAW MILK QUALITY STANDARDS

By Jeff Hyndman, Assistant Director, Raw Milk Quality and Quality Assurance Programs, Dairy Farmers of Ontario

RAW MILK QUALITY is foundational to milk production in Ontario and as processor and customer expectations change, Ontario producers change with them, advancing their practices to ensure they are always able to produce milk that meets the highest quality standards. Both producers and DFO are dedicated to supplying milk that meets stringent standards for somatic cell count (SCC), bacteria, freezing point, and inhibitors.

I’ve spent the better part of the last 20 years on the Quality Assurance team at DFO and have worked with producers across the province on ways to improve their milk quality and farm operations to support the high standards we have.

DFO has always taken a multi-faceted approach to milk quality that involves a combination of programs, policies, regulations, and staff support. Field staff understand that myriad factors affect milk quality and as such, it is necessary to look at it in multiple ways.

Dairy Farmers of Canada’s proAction program addresses milk quality using a quality assurance program based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). Ontario’s Raw Milk Quality Program, under Regulation 761, The Milk Act, sets provincial standards and gives DFO the authority to enforce quality standards. This is done through milk testing and an associated penalty program. The regulation also delegates the authority to conduct farm inspections through the Grade A program to DFO. Inspections ensure that milk is produced from farms that meet Grade A standards not only for milking and cooling equipment but also for production facility and animal care standards.

DFO’s Board of Directors takes a proactive approach to quality and has increased testing and penalty programs over time. At these junctures, Ontario producers have always stepped up and demonstrated their willingness to adapt, and their commitment to quality. In 2022, Ontario producers maintained a provincial average of less than 200,000 SCC for each month of the year, well below the established acceptable limits.

Field staff support is also an important part of Ontario’s approach to milk quality. DFO’s team of Field Services Representatives (FSRs) possess strong technical and industry knowledge and are able to assist producers with troubleshooting and preventing raw milk quality issues before they happen. Recently, DFO reaffirmed its commitment to milk quality by having FSRs focus on quality investigations. They will now assist producers in determining the cause of any quality issue on-farm and advise them how best to address it. This support service is available to all producers as both a preventative and problem-solving tool.

Ontario dairy producers take pride in supplying our Canadian dairy system with milk that meets the highest quality standards. They understand that milk quality is not an end point but rather an ongoing process with a goal of constant improvement and our system is rooted in this.