The Council does not condone the mistreatment of farm animals in any way, and it supports the efforts of the BC Dairy Association and the SPCA to take action on this matter. The Council expects that all milk purchased by its members will be produced in accordance with the highest standards of quality, safety and social responsibility including the ethical treatment of farm animals, and relies on and works with the BC Dairy Association to ensure that these standards are met.
The Council also notes that certain facts surrounding the news reports in question were presented incorrectly. Within British Columbia, no dairy processor, including Saputo, has direct access to or control over the farms that supply milk. To single out any one processor as being the recipient of milk from a particular farm or having any role in determining the destination of milk from any farm is both incorrect and misleading.
The BC Dairy Council will work with the BC Dairy Association to ensure that all of the milk received by processors is produced according to the highest possible standards including the ethical treatment of farm animals.
Further inquiries on this matter should be directed to the BC Dairy Association at 604-294-3775