DPAC supports industry efforts to increase transparency and accountability and encourage continuous improvement with regard to the care and welfare of animals.
Advancing animal welfare practices in Canada requires ongoing collaboration. DPAC works closely with Dairy Farmers of Canada to support their efforts to ensure that farmers are given the tools and guidance they need to continue to meet the high standard of animal care and welfare that Canada’s processors and their customers have come to expect.
A Strong Animal Welfare System
As an active member of the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), DPAC represents the expectations of Canada’s dairy processors, their customers, and Canadian consumers in the development guidance and best practices in the care and handling of animals.
Working alongside farm, veterinary, government experts, as well as animal welfare associations, like Humane Canada, DPAC has contributed to the modernization of national guidelines for the care and handling of dairy cattle and goats.
The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle (Updated 2023)
The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Goats (Updated 2022)
These Codes use the latest evidence to provide critical guidance and promote sound management and welfare practices for housing, care, transportation and other animal husbandry practices. They are used as reference materials for regulations, educational tools, and, in the case of the dairy cattle code, used as the foundation for Dairy Farmers of Canada’s proAction program.
Canada’s dairy processors have long refused to take the milk from farms which fail to meet the high standards of care set by provincial boards and the Dairy Farmers of Canada. DPAC has consistently outlined our expectations of Canada’s dairy farmers and the provincial boards that collect and sell their milk.
Stewardship of Antibiotic Use in Canada
Antibiotics play an important role in supporting animal welfare by treating, controlling and preventing bacterial disease, but it is important that they do not end up in Canada’s milk supply.
Canada’s farmers and vets follow strict guidelines on the use of antibiotics and take all necessary steps to ensure that this does not happen. Dairy processors double check this work with their own tests to ensure there are no oversights.
To support these efforts, DPAC contributes to the important work of the Canadian Global Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (CgFARAD). CgFARAD helps vets receive the unbiased and scientifically-based information they need to support the safety of Canada’s food supply against accidental contamination of residues of drugs and pesticides.
DPAC Actions on Animal Welfare
- Board Member of the National Farm Animal Care Council, a multi-stakeholder approach to developing science-informed Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals.
- Member of Animal Health Canada, a collaboration of federal, provincial, territorial, and industry/non-government stakeholders to address important topics such as emergency management, animal welfare, and animal health surveillance.
- Supporter of Canadian Global Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (CgFARAD) the Canadian member of the global food animal residue avoidance databank program.
- Our members drive dairy processing policy, sectoral collaboration and action on animal welfare through DPAC’s Animal Welfare Committee.
Featured news and resources
October 2016 –
DPAC and its members view any mistreatment of animals as unacceptable.
In the event of an alleged animal abuse/cruelty situation from a credible source, it is the expectation of DPAC and its members that:
- provincial authorities will suspend a producer’s license and hence milk pickup from the implicated farm,
- provincial authorities will notify processors immediately of such a circumstance and provide processors with all relevant information,
- milk from an implicated farm will not be shipped to dairy processors until such time as assurance is provided by a third-party veterinary animal welfare auditor (i.e. a veterinarian with no association to the implicated farm who is trained in conducting animal welfare audits) that there is compliance with the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle, and, the farm is cleared by the provincial authorities to ship milk.
As such, it is DPAC’s policy that, in response to an alleged animal abuse/cruelty situation from a credible source, DPAC members will not accept milk from an implicated farm until such time as:
- a third-party veterinary animal welfare audit has validated compliance with the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle; and,
- the farm is cleared by the provincial authorities to ship milk.
Management of Animal Welfare Issues
DPAC Letter to Provincial Milk Marketing Boards, June 22, 2018
DPAC Letter to Provincial Milk Marketing Boards, October 3, 2016
March 30, 2023 –
The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) have released the updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle. The updated Code is now available at nfacc.ca.
The Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC) was an active member of the Code Development Committee. The Committee included representatives from the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Humane Canada as well as a cross section of industry, government and veterinary experts.
Working together, Committee members identified evidence-based solutions to address farm animal care concerns and meet consumers’ expectations. The updated Code is the result of consensus building from a diverse group of stakeholders through shared learning and decision making.
Many positive outcomes have emerged from the revision of the dairy cattle code, and DPAC vows to continue working collaboratively with all stakeholders to improve animal welfare practices in Canada.
Backgrounder – Codes and National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC)
Codes exist for the vast majority of Canada’s animal agriculture industries and are managed by NFACC. These codes serve as a national baseline for animal care requirements and recommended practices and are often incorporated by reference into provincial animal welfare legislation.
Codes are also used by industry to promote sound husbandry practices, such as housing, animal care and handling, as well as transportation. The Codes are therefore foundational for animal care assessment programs, such as the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s proAction program.
