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BC Dairy Industry Overview
Most of the dairy herds are in the Lower Mainland, southeastern
Vancouver Island, and north Okanagan-Shuswap area. 70% of BC's milk
production is in the Fraser Valley. A few dairy herds, about 20%,
are located in the North Okanagan, East Kootenay and Bulkley Valley/Cariboo/Peace
regions and 10% on South-east Vancouver Island.
About 679 commercial shipper with 77,000 cows. The average herd size is
113 cows plus
additional replacement calves and heifers. The average cow on test
produces 29L of milk a day and is milked for 10 months a year, which
equals 8839 litres of milk per year per cow.
Under the Milk Industry Act, dairy farms are inspected and
dairy farmers are required to provide facilities that ensure safe
and clean milk production and handling. They must also provide
adequate housing and waste handling facilities. The Ministry of
Agriculture and Lands oversees farm inspection, raw milk
handling and milk testing. The Ministry of Health is responsible for
dairy plant and final product evaluation.
Number of Dairy Livestock (,000 head) 2000- 2002
|
July 1,
2000 |
July 1,
2001 |
July 1,
2002 |
Milk Cows |
69 |
73 |
75.0 |
Milk Heifers |
37 |
36 |
36.5 |
Source: FAST
STATS 2004 (2.45mb
Average Milk Price 2001- 2002
Dairy ($/hectolitre): |
2001
|
2002
|
Average Milk Price |
61.70 |
64.59 |
Source: FAST
STATS 2004 (2.45mb
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