Editor’s note: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated dairy farmers were seeking tariffs
MONTREAL – Milk producers in Quebec and the rest of Canada are demanding the federal government enforce rules governing how much real milk is included in cheese products across the country.
Stakeholders in Canada’s dairy industry said today a U.S. milk protein – known as diafiltered milk – is being used improperly as actual milk, costing them tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Cheese producers are using the cheaper, diafiltered milk to satisfy the minimum milk requirement, which dairy farmers claim is breaking the rules.
In Canada, all cheese sold must have a minimum percentage of protein sourced from actual milk.
Canada’s dairy farmers are promising to increase pressure on the federal government until they are satisfied the country’s dairy rules are properly enforced.