A dairy farm in Canada’s southern Ontario region reports that it was given the order to dump 30,000 liters of milk after surpassing a designated quota regulated by the government.
The farmers are only paid for the milk they make within the bounds of the quota.
In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, a worker at the dairy farm claims that the farm produced around 260 gallons of milk. During the winter months, it generated slightly more milk than usual because of the consistency of the feed, which produced “quite a bit of milk.”
The worker goes on to add that this made the farm “go over our quota.”
He then goes on to show the milk being dumped “running away” as it is drained, which he shares “breaks [his] heart.”
Instead of being donated to a food bank, hospital, or homeless shelter, the milk is poured down the drain to satisfy some arbitrary quota while many people are struggling to afford milk and other grocery items.
The worker goes on to say that milk in the region is worth $7 per liter: “$7 dollars for a little bit of milk.”
“We have no say anymore, as dairy farmers on our own farm because they make us dump it – no matter how much we stand up. This time, I’m going public. I want people to see the pain we growers have. 365 days, as a little boy grew up on a dairy farm in Europe…work, work, work, and here we are. This is what’s happening.”
The Canadian Dairy Commission announced on Tuesday that it has granted a rise in farm gate milk prices by approximately 2.2 percent, equivalent to almost two cents per liter. This price increase will take effect on February 1st, 2023.
However, some people who’ve seen this video suggest that this information proves that the recent supply shortages causing price increases may not be accidental.
