Ontario dairy goat farmers will now have their own milk board, regulated by the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission and able to charge a levy on milk.
“It’s a milestone step for Ontario dairy goat producers,” said Kevin Weaver, goat dairy industry senior manager for Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd., who was part of the board’s planning committee. “We have the ability now to have funding in order to look at research, producer training, and education programs.”
“We’re looking forward to working with our processing partners on generic domestic promotion of Ontario goat milk,” said Weaver. “And, hopefully, we can work with the ministry to establish risk management programs.”
The producer-led organization’s goal is to provide advocacy, research, education, training, marketing, consumer education and industry partner collaboration to support dairy goat sector innovation, sustainability and profitability.
In April, dairy goat producers were mailed an expression of opinion vote to inform whether the sector was in favour of the local board. A Dairy Goat Farmers of Ontario release said support exceeded the commission’s required threshold of 66 per cent of voting producers and 50 per cent of production represented by those who voted. It did not provide the total votes cast.
Ontario Goat, a provincial organization that represents dairy, meat and fibre goat producers, but doesn’t have the power to charge a levy, said producers deserve greater transparency regarding the vote breakdown, stating concerns the results didn’t “fully reflect the views of the entire sector.”
“The creation of a new statutory organization for Ontario’s dairy goat sector is one of the most significant governance changes the industry has faced in decades,” said Michele Bowering, Ontario Goat president, in a release. “Of additional concern is the fact that a significant number of eligible producers from Amish and Mennonite communities were unable to participate in the vote due to religious objections to voting.”
She said concerns raised during producer consultations, meetings and written communication about the proposed Dairy Goat Farmers of Ontario establishing a marketing board for goat milk under the Milk Act, were heightened following the commission’s approval.
“Ontario Goat is concerned that the government’s announcement focuses on establishing a marketing board for goat milk, rather than a board representing goat producers,” stated Bowering. “This distinction matters.”
She said they’ve already fielded many producer calls concerned about transparency and “what is being created in their name and how it may affect their businesses in the years ahead.”
Weaver says that use of the term “marketing board” in the official announcement would cause concern, but clarified that the commission’s usage is interchangeable with the term “local board” used within the Farm Product Marketing Act and Milk Act.
The Dairy Goat Farmers of Ontario “is only for advocacy, research, consumer awareness, and work on producer programs like risk management programs,” Weaver said. “There’s nothing in there at all for regulating production and setting prices. The only authority that we are seeking is the ability to collect the licensing fee and be able to set that licensing fee.”
The current proposed licensing fee is 0.00275 cents a litre, equal to 0.21 per cent of gross revenue, according to the proposal information sent out with the commission’s voting material.
Weaver said the DFGO is not like the Dairy Farmers of Ontario and, according to the material sent out to dairy producers before the vote, will not regulate production or set quotas, set farm-gate prices, control or administer supply management or introduce new regulations.
Ontario’s Regulatory Registry will post the proposed Milk Act regulations, and alert dairy goat producers when the 45-day public comment period opens for producer, industry stakeholders and public review and feedback.
Once the commission finalizes a regulation and marketing plan, it can be read into the Milk Act, which happens twice a year on the first of July and January.
“July 1 has always been our expedited guideline, but our next guideline now is Jan. 1, 2027; that’s what we’re hoping for,” Weaver said. “In the meantime, we’ll start looking at developing our interim committee.”
In the meantime, an interim committee of nine people responsible for crafting the board’s structure and bylaws will be selected from across co-operatives and independent producers.
“There’s a lot of passion in the industry,” said Lindsay Dykeman, Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative general manager. “No doubt we’ll get lots of people who are excited to form, essentially, this association and map the future of the industry.”
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