A Canadian first: low-carbon milk

Low-carbon milk is a reality in Canada. An independent audit has confirmed GHG reductions in milk produced by 15 farms in Quebec. This is an important milestone that marks the beginning of Canada’s dairy industry’s decarbonization.

More and more farms are adopting GHG reduction practices, such as reducing their use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers or adding cover crops or perennial plants to their fields. All these efforts are beginning to bear fruit: 15 farms registered in Quebec’s Dedicated Dairy Farms program are the first in Canada to have generated GHG reductions associated to milk that have been verified by an independent organization. This important event marks the beginning of milk’s decarbonization in the country.

Verified GHG reductions

In 2023-2024, these 15 dairy farms reduced their emissions by 1,830 tons of CO₂ equivalent. That’s the GHG equivalent of a car traveling six million kilometers, or 140 times around the Earth!

This is far from greenwashing, as these impressive reductions have been verified by SustainCERT, an independent organization well known in the climate change community. This verification process guarantees the credibility of the reductions. This credibility is crucial for companies committed to reducing their GHG emissions, the markets where they trade these reductions, and, of course, the fight against climate change itself!

Low-carbon milk

What’s more, these 1,830 tons are part of an inset market. This means that they are specifically associated with milk and will be showcased in the dairy sector. Ultimately, these reductions will enable the creation of dairy products with a low-carbon footprint.

Large processors, whether Nestlé, Danone or Mars, are taking a keen interest in inset markets. In concrete terms, this requires them to change their business model in order to collaborate more closely with their agricultural suppliers and support them in reducing their GHG emissions.

The other option for farms committed to climate transition is to offer their reductions as offset credits to companies of all kinds that wish to offset their emissions (oil companies, software manufacturers, banks, etc.). Although this also contributes to the fight against climate change, the sale of offset credits has the major disadvantage of removing agricultural reductions… from the agricultural sector.

Dedicated Dairy Farms: an innovative GHG reduction program

The Dedicated Dairy Farms program was created by Logiag in 2021. It now includes more than 100 farms and is based on a methodology validated by SustainCERT in 2024. This validation was a mandatory prerequisite for its verification of GHG reductions. Very few programs in North America have equivalent validation.

In the field, Dedicated Dairy Farms participants have access to a turnkey climate transition service and a network of producers motivated to improve their practices to ensure their sustainability.

Specifically, the program offers them:

• An annual assessment of their GHG emissions
• A roadmap detailing the reduction practices to be implemented
• Personalized agronomic support
• Regional communities of practice
• Verification and valuation of GHG reductions generated
• Financial support from agri-food processors

Since its inception, the Dedicated Dairy Farms team has been refining its operating methods and continues to recruit new farms. Despite its young age, this innovative program has completed its first lap and reached a certain level of maturity. Imagine the potential for reductions and decarbonization when the entire dairy sector truly gets in the game!