The Canadian dairy industry supported $7.5 billion in total net farm cash receipts and $16.8 billion in dairy products in 2021, contributing $35 billion to the national GDP. At the same time, dairy accounts for around 36 percent of livestock emissions—primarily methane and nitrous oxide. The industry has committed to a Dairy Net-Zero Pledge by 2050, with a 30 percent reduction milestone in 2030. This project’s goal is to integrate cutting-edge genetics and nutrition knowledge to deliver a mitigation roadmap for greenhouse gas (GHG) management in dairy production, including a comprehensive toolbox. The toolbox will include quantification of emissions, nutritional or genetic approaches to GHG reductions and evaluation assessment tools. The roadmap will allow a 55 percent reduction in GHG emissions from Canadian dairy (30-40 percent from nutrition and 30 percent from genomic strategies) at an estimated value of $338 million, with additional potential reductions in beef. It will also improve animal and herd-level practices. A further $100 million in annual net savings is expected through a correlated genetic gain in production efficiency. The shared roadmap for dairy production will inform and align producers, industry stakeholders, and national policymakers.
Genomic Centres: Ontario Genomics, Génome Québec and Genome Alberta