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Dairy Farmers of Canada Launches Program to Reward Consumers for Purchasing Canadian Dairy

The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), an agriculture industry support group, has launched a program that rewards consumers for purchasing Canadian dairy products. Consumers who sign up for the program can receive access to special offers, contests, recipes and other materials. While DFC touts the program as a way to support local farmers and promote transparency, there are concerns about the program's influence on consumer choices and its potential to overshadow alternative, more ethical and sustainable options.

Israeli Lab-Grown Milk Protein Approved for Sale in Canada

Remilk, an Israeli food tech firm, has obtained Health Canada's approval to distribute its lab-grown milk protein to Canadian dairy manufacturers and food companies. The "letter of no objection" permits the use of BLG protein, produced via precision fermentation, in dairy substitutes like milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. The protein, equivalent to cow-derived BLG but created without animals, is deemed environmentally sustainable and lacks lactose, cholesterol, and growth hormones. Health Canada confirms safety, asserting the product is nutritionally comparable to whey protein. Remilk aims to partner with Canadian food firms to offer innovative, guilt-free dairy alternatives, excluding direct consumer sales or infant formula use.

Canada and Ontario Invest Eight Million Dollars in Dairy Industry

The governments of Canada and Ontario are committing up to eight million dollars through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to enhance “processing efficiencies” and food safety in Ontario's dairy sector. The Dairy Processing Modernization Initiative invites eligible dairy businesses to apply for funding to acquire modern technologies that boost production efficiency and ensure food safety. The investment is part of the Grow Ontario Strategy, aiming to fortify the agriculture and food supply chain. Open to various milk processors, each eligible applicant can receive up to $200,000 in cost-share support.

Quebec Superior Court Rejects Rawesome Raw Vegan Inc.'s Challenge to Cheese Labeling Rules

The Quebec Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit by Rawesome Raw Vegan Inc., a vegan cheese company, seeking a declaration that vegan cheese products are not required to adhere to the standards of composition outlined for “cheese” in articles B.08.033 to B.08.054 of the federal Regulations Respecting Food and Drugs. This comes after Rawesome successfully appealed a 2021 conviction that found them guilty of violating food labeling laws by describing their cashew-based products as “cheese.” The Quebec Superior Court overturned the conviction, finding that the labeling laws only applied to dairy-based cheeses. The Attorney General of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency brought a motion to dismiss the case, citing no live legal question, as there was no current challenge by the government to Rawesome's ongoing use of the term “cheese.” The Court ultimately agreed, noting that Rawesome didn’t have sufficient interest in the matter. National animal law organization Animal Justice intervened in the case, arguing that banning vegan companies from using common words like “milk” and “cheese” is a violation of the Charter rights to freedom of conscience and freedom of expression.

PETA Investigation Reveals Horrific Animal Suffering at Ontario Water Buffalo Farm

A whistleblower's complaint prompted a PETA investigation into Ontario Water Buffalo Company, exposing extreme animal cruelty. Buffaloes, unsuited for freezing conditions, were found in squalid, cramped quarters, suffering from wounds, overgrown hooves, and uterine prolapses. The whistleblower also reported neglect, with sick animals denied proper care. PETA has submitted evidence of apparent violations of the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act to Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services, but the conditions remain the same almost five months post-complaint, as documented in recent footage. Former Animal Care Review Board Chair, Dr. Mary Richardson, described the conditions as deplorable.

New Study Advocates For “All Life” Approach to Solve Climate Crisis

Svetlana V Feigin et al, “Proposed solutions to anthropogenic climate change: A systematic

literature review and a new way forward” (2023) 9:10 Heliyon.

Abstract: This review highlights one of the most important but overlooked pieces in the puzzle of solving the climate change problem – the gradual shift to a plant-based diet and global phaseout of factory (industrialized animal) farming, the most damaging and prolific form of animal agriculture. The gradual global phaseout of industrialized animal farming can be achieved by increasingly replacing animal meat and other animal products with plant-based products, ending government subsidies for animal-based meat, dairy, and eggs, and initiating taxes on such products. Failure to act will ultimately result in a scenario of irreversible climate change with widespread famine and disease, global devastation, climate refugees, and warfare. We therefore suggest an “All Life” approach, invoking the interconnectedness of all life forms on our planet. The logistics for achieving this include a global standardization of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) or similar measures and the introduction of a regulatory body for verification of such measures. These approaches will help deliver environmental and sustainability benefits for our planet far beyond an immediate reduction in global warming.

Canada Launches $333 Million Dairy Innovation Fund to Help Dairy Processors

The Canadian government has launched the Dairy Innovation and Investment Fund, dedicating $333 million in public funding over the next decade to aid dairy processors in bolstering solids non-fat (SNF) processing capacity. SNF is what remains after milk processing extracts fat for products like butter and cream. Increased demand for butterfat has led to surplus SNF supplies. Previously, Canada sold some SNF to Mexico, but the new North American trade agreement limited these exports due to US objections. This initiative, announced in November 2022 and featured in the 2023 federal budget, compensates producers and processors for trade concessions made in agreements like the Canada-EU and Canada-US-Mexico trade deals. The fund, administered by the Canadian Dairy Commission, requires projects to result in a net increase of SNF capacity. Eligible projects receive financial support, aiming to enhance the dairy sector's sustainability and benefit the Canadian economy.

Study Reveals Plant-Based Alternatives Could Dramatically Reduce Environmental Impacts of Our Diets by 2050

Marta Kozicka et al, “Feeding climate and biodiversity goals with novel plant-based meat and milk alternatives” (2023) 14 Nature Communications 5316.

Abstract: Plant-based animal product alternatives are increasingly promoted to achieve more sustainable diets. Here, we use a global economic land use model to assess the food system-wide impacts of a global dietary shift towards these alternatives. We find a substantial reduction in the global environmental impacts by 2050 if globally 50% of the main animal products (pork, chicken, beef and milk) are substituted—net reduction of forest and natural land is almost fully halted and agriculture and land use GHG emissions decline by 31% in 2050 compared to 2020. If spared agricultural land within forest ecosystems is restored to forest, climate benefits could double, reaching 92% of the previously estimated land sector mitigation potential. Furthermore, the restored area could contribute to 13-25% of the estimated global land restoration needs under target 2 from the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030, and future declines in ecosystem integrity by 2050 would be more than halved. The distribution of these impacts varies across regions—the main impacts on agricultural input use are in China and on environmental outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. While beef replacement provides the largest impacts, substituting multiple products is synergistic.

Influence of Meat and Dairy Industries Hinders Green Alternatives against Climate Crisis, Study Reveals

A study exposes the immense power of the meat and dairy industries in the European Union and United States, obstructing the advancement of eco-friendly alternatives needed for addressing the climate crisis. The analysis of lobbying, subsidies, and regulations highlights a stark disparity, with livestock farmers in the EU receiving 1,200 times more public funding than plant-based or cultivated meat groups. In the US, animal farmers received 800 times more. The study, published in the journal OneEarth, also reveals significant lobbying expenditures by meat producers, overshadowing those of alternatives.

Lidl Germany Updates Animal Welfare Standards for Cows Used for Meat and Dairy

International discount retailer chain Lidl Germany has revealed plans to update its animal welfare standards for all of its cows used for meat and dairy. The supermarket chain aims to source all of its cow meat from farms adhering to at least level three of the four-level animal husbandry standard by spring 2024. Lidl will also transition its animal welfare standards for cows used for milk to level three and four husbandry standards from the coming year.