Building a Sustainable Dairy Industry

Transcription

1 Building a Sustainable Dairy Industry November 7-8, 2017 Fairmont Château Laurier

2 Welcome It is a pleasure for me to welcome Canadian farmers, processors, retailers and other partners interested in the question of sustainability to this symposium, entitled Building a Sustainable Dairy Industry. This symposium follows the signing of the Rotterdam Declaration in July by Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) and the Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC). This signature along with many of our investments in research, our proaction initiative and our participation in a variety of other sustainability initiatives demonstrates our ongoing commitment to producing the high quality milk that Canadians expect and appreciate. Over the years, the Canadian dairy industry has succeeded in positioning itself as a world leader, particularly in terms of genetic improvement. Thanks to ongoing collaborations with our key partners, as farmers, we have been able to overcome several challenges, improve our animals and develop new practices to produce milk of the highest quality. Our work continues to push today s boundaries so that we can do better tomorrow. I would like to thank these partners, many who are here today, on behalf of my fellow farmers. In the future, climate change will bring new conditions that will affect the way we produce milk and dairy products. With this symposium, we have the shared opportunity to look back on how far we have come and how we are going to adapt and continue to improve as we move forward so that we can respond to our customers and consumers questions, while finding ways of ensuring the sustainability of our farmland to feed people today and for generations to come. Over the next two days, we will have the opportunity to talk with people from the different areas of our value chain. Let s take this opportunity to exchange ideas and work toward becoming a stronger team. May these ideas and discussions allow us to work, and prosper, together. Pierre Lampron President, Dairy Farmers of Canada 2

3 Farm Tours November 7, 2017 Departure from Fairmont Château Laurier Lobby - 8:30 am La Ferme Gillette is a family farm that has been in the family for five generations. Currently the farm is operated by the four brothers, Marc, Louis, Vincent, & Mathieu Patenaude as well as members of the 5 th generation: Eric, Paul and Amelia. Ferme Gillette milks 600 cows at three different facilities one tiestall, two freestalls. A well-known farm name in the Canadian dairy industry, Gillette has produced several bulls for artificial insemination as well as having cows sell strongly at auctions around the world. Arguably the most famous Gillette cow, Gillette E Smurf, earned the Guinness world record for the highest producing cow in Producing more than kg ( litres) over 11 lactations, Smurf is an excellent testament to the high level of management and care the Patenaude family provides their animals. Lunch at Casselview Golf and Country Club - 1:00 pm Ken and Peggy Wilkes are 5 th generation dairy farmers at Wilkridge Farm with their three children being the 6 th to grow up on the farm. The Wilkes milk 75 cows in their new free stall barn that features the 1 st two GEA monobox automated milking systems in Eastern Ontario. The barn, combined with herd improvement services like Herdbook registration and milk recording, have helped the Wilkes maintain a healthy herd of cows as evidenced by their impressive milk quality ( somatic cell count). In addition to the dairy farm, the Wilkes crop approximately 850 acres of owned and rented land. Return to the Fairmont Château Laurier - 3:30 pm Wine and Cheese Join us for a social evening featuring Canadian beef, wine and cheese Fairmont Château Laurier Adam Room! Sponsored by Canada Beef 6:30 to 8:30 pm 3

4 Symposium Agenda November 8th, 2017 Ballroom 8:15 AM Registration 8:30 AM Welcome & Overview - Pierre Lampron, Chair SUSTAINABILITY TODAY 8:40 AM Why Sustainable Food is Important to Retailers Bob Chant, Loblaw Companies Limited: With more consumers concerned with where their food comes from, how important is it for the Canadian dairy industry to be sustainable? 9:15 AM Big Data, Science and Cow Improvement Brian Van Doormaal, Canadian Dairy Network will provide a glimpse in the world of modern technology and genomics in Canada s dairy sector, which have significantly increased the data generated on farms that improve efficiency and sustainability on Canadian dairy farms. 9:50 AM Milk Sustainability and Nutrition 10:30 AM Joanne Gallagher, Dairy Farmers of Canada will discuss the role of milk and milk products in a healthy sustainable diet. Health Break 10:45 AM Table Discussions Media Availability Québec Room 11:00 AM Plenary Report 4

5 Symposium Agenda November 8th, 2017 Ballroom TRANSPARENCY AND ENGAGEMENT 11:15 AM Dairy Farmers of Canada s Sustainability Initiatives David Weins, Dairy Farmers of Canada will present an overview of some of the programs and initiatives led by DFC to promote sustainability, including investments in research, proaction and marketing. 12:00 PM 12:45 PM Lunch Dairy Farmers of Canada s Involvement in Industry Sustainability Initiatives A panel discussion with experts of the following initiatives in which DFC is involved: IDF Canada s Gilles Froment, Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef s Cherie Copithorne-Barnes and Canadian Federation of Agriculture s Drew Black. Gilles Cherie Drew 1:15 PM 2:00 PM Question Period Table Discussions Media Availability Québec Room 2:30 PM Health Break 2:45 PM Plenary Report LEADERSHIP 3:00 PM A Processor s Perspective on Sustainability Robert Coallier, Agropur Cooperative: For over 80 years, Agropur has put their passion and expertise into offering a complete line of dairy products that Canadians enjoy every day. Agropur contributes to sustainable development at several levels to help improve the quality of life for the community, the environment, their employees and their members. 3:50 PM Sustainability: an Integral Part of Dairy Farming Dave Taylor, Viewfield Farms: Any business that lasts multiple generations must understand the importance of sustainability. This family farm is no exception. 4:30 PM 5:00 PM Conclusion Adjournment 5

6 Speaker Biographies Bob Chant, Loblaw Companies Limited Bob is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communication. He manages social responsibility, public relations, government and industry relations, and communication at Loblaw. Loblaw has been recognized as one of Canada s Best 50 Corporate Citizens by Corporate Knights and Maclean s Top 50 Socially Responsible Corporations. Through the establishment of the Loblaw Companies Limited Chair in Sustainable Food Production at the University of Guelph and the Conference Board of Canada s Centre for Food in Canada, Loblaw is contributing to the development of a sustainable national food strategy. Prior to joining Loblaw, Bob worked as Senior Associate with Hill & Knowlton Canada, and as Director of Corporate Affairs with Labatt Brewery Company. He has also served as Chief of Staff to the Ontario Opposition Leader and as Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Ontario. Brian Van Doormaal, Canadian Dairy Network Brian has been the General Manager of Canadian Dairy Network for the past 22 years, a position he has held since the company was first established in For his entire career, he has been a member of the Genetic Evaluation Board and involved in strategically allocating industry funds to support research, mainly in the area of genetic evaluations of dairy cattle. He has been directly involved in the implementation of genetic evaluations for improving various traits as well as the introduction of genomic evaluations in Brian led the research and development as well as the implementation of Pro$ as a scientifically sound, profit-based genetic selection index alongside the Lifetime Performance Index (LPI) in Canada. Internationally, Brian has been the Canadian representative on the Steering Committee of Interbull since 1997, which is the organization responsible for providing international evaluations for bulls from over 30 countries. Joanne Gallagher, Dairy Farmers of Canada Joanne is Assistant Director in the Nutrition Department with Dairy Farmers of Canada. She oversees a team of nutrition professionals who develop and deliver nutrition programs and educational resources to positively impact Ontario children s eating practices. Joanne also liaises with health-related community agencies, policy makers, academia and NGO s to further this work. Joanne mentors nutrition students and provides lectures at local universities to help prepare future dietetic professionals. She has completed terms as Board Member for two national non-profit nutrition organizations; Breakfast for Learning and the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research. Joanne holds a Masters degree in Health Science from the University of Toronto and an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Nutrition from the University of Guelph. She is registered with the College of Dietitians of Ontario and is a member of the Dietitians of Canada and the Society for Nutrition Education and Behaviour. 6

7 Speaker Biographies David Weins, Dairy Farmers of Canada David has been the Chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba since He has also been a Director with the Dairy Farmers of Canada board since 2009 and in 2011, he was elected Vice-President. During his time on the DFC board, David has been the Chair of the Promotion Committee and is currently serving as the chair of the proaction committee and of the Canadian Dairy Research Council. David continues to take a keen interest in dairy policy on a provincial and national level. He appreciates the opportunity he has been given to shape policies that make it possible for dairy farmers across Canada to have viable farms. David farms with his brother Charles near Grunthal, where they milk 230 cows. Robert Coallier, Agropur Cooperative Robert became Agropur s CEO in February Before joining the cooperative, he served in management positions with C-MAC Industries and with companies in the consumer products and retail trade sectors, including Molson and Dollarama. He has also sat on the boards of many public and private companies, including Agropur, where he was a guest director for two years before being named CEO. Today, Robert oversees the Cooperative s growth and positioning in an increasingly competitive and globalized market. Robert holds a Bachelor s degree from McGill University and an MBA from Concordia. He has received numerous distinctions, including MBA of the Year in 2015, the 2015 Homage Award from Financial Executives International (FEI), and the Grand performant award at the annual Les Nouveaux Performants gala in He is an active member of the Cercle des présidents and of QG100; and was recently appointed to the federal government s Agri-Food Economic Strategy Table. Dave Taylor, Viewfield Farms Dave is the Chairman of the BC Dairy Association. He is a passionate advocate for the BC and Canadian dairy industry, and a strong supporter of proaction. His farm is Viewfield Farm in Comox Valley on the central east coast of Vancouver Island. The farm is operated by three Taylor families including Dave s brother and father. The Taylor s boast the top milk quality award for Vancouver Island for the years 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and The Taylor s have been farming since Dave s grandfather bought his first farm in 1946 in Saanichton just outside of Victoria, BC. They milk 130 cows and have a total herd of over 300 registered Holsteins. 7

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