The Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador (DFNL) says there are no shortages or service disruptions on the milk it produces in the province.
On March 19, DFNL, the regulatory body for milk production in the province, said it wrote to retailers discouraging purchase limits being set on milk products manufactured in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods Minister Gerry Byrne has also called for retailers to stop placing limits on the amounts of locally produced milk that customers can purchase.
“The province is self-sufficient for milk, eggs and chicken,” Byrne said in DFNL’s news release Thursday.
“Milk is produced in abundance here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the issue we’re facing is that big box stores and national grocery chains are decreasing their orders for milk, despite consumer demand. This is a serious issue.”
Byrne said last week, because of this under-ordering, Newfoundland and Labrador dairy farmers were forced to dump more than 170,000 litres of fresh milk.
Greg Gill, vice-president of marketing for provincial grocer Colemans, noted in the news release the grocery store chain has not decreased their orders for local milk, and that customers should be able to purchase milk in the quantities they need.
“We initially imposed limits on certain products as a means to provide access to as many customers as possible. We have since removed limits on local milk products as supply has not been an issue for us,” Gill said.
Crosbie Williams, owner of Pondview Farms in the Goulds, a 250-cow dairy farm, said he is concerned about people having access to local products.
“We’re able to supply fresh, local milk, year-round. There should be no limit on healthy, local food, and people shouldn’t have to make multiple trips to the stores to get what they need to feed themselves and their families,” Williams said in the news release.
