Dairy in Canada - Statistics & Facts

Dairy farming is a branch of agriculture which involves the processing raw animal milk into dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. For many consumers, dairy products are an important nutritional source. For dairy farmers and processors, it is a source of livelihood. In 2015, Nestlé and Dean Foods and Canadian company Seputo Inc. were the top three dairy food processors in North America, based on sales. Similarly, Seputo Inc. and Agropur Dairy Cooperative were among the key market players in Canada. In 2016, Saputo generated approximately 10.99 billion Canadian dollars, while the sales of Agropur Dairy Cooperative amounted to 5.87 billion Canadian dollars in 2015.

In Canada, the dairy industry is growing fast. In 2014, the market value of the Canadian dairy industry amounted to approximately 10.56 billion Canadian dollars, and is forecast to increase to 11.65 billion dollars by 2019. Among the Canadian provinces, Quebec is the largest dairy producer, with 354.1 thousand dairy cows and 122 dairy manufacturing establishments.

Manufacturer sales of dairy products amounted to approximately 1.53 billion Canadian dollars in December 2016 up from 1.47 billion Canadian dollars in 2014. In 2016, the average net operating income of dairy farms in Canada amounted to approximately 155.92 thousand Canadian dollars and the farm cash receipts of dairy products amounted to approximately 6.17 billion Canadian dollars.

Regarding international trade, the trade balance of dairy products in Canada amounted to approximately -735.1 million Canadian dollars in 2016, meaning dairy imports were valued at around 735.1 million Canadian dollars more than dairy exports from Canada that year. In 2015, the trade value of dairy and eggs imported to Canada from the United States amounted to approximately 371.58 million U.S. dollars, followed by New Zealand with imports valued at only 49.31 million Canadian dollars. By 2018, the retail sales of packaged dairy goods are forecast to be valued at approximately 11.86 billion Canadian dollars, up from 11.73 billion Canadian dollars in 2016.

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