OP-ED: Dumping milk to protect supply management quotas is wasteful
Sylvain Charlebois writes, "In November 2025, just a few months ago, Dairy Farmers of Ontario disposed of 4.9 per cent of the province’s milk supply."
Author: Sylvain Charlebois
In November 2025, just a few months ago, Dairy Farmers of Ontario disposed of 4.9 per cent of the province’s milk supply. The figure comes from Milk Producer magazine, an industry publication read largely by dairy farmers themselves. Most Ontarians will never see it, and that is precisely the problem.
That 4.9 per cent represents roughly 10.2 million litres of milk poured away in a single month. At retail prices, this amounts to approximately $18 million in lost value. The butterfat contained in that milk alone was worth roughly $10 million at retail. All of it was destroyed quietly, without public scrutiny, at a time when food banks across the province are reporting record demand and dairy products remain among the most expensive staples in the grocery cart.
