BCMMB has been working with our Western Milk Pool counterparts over the past several years to update our pooling agreement. The final draft of the agreement is now available for review and feedback by clicking on this link: WESTERN MILK POOLING AGREEMENT
Your Feedback can be provided by email to info@bcmilk.com or at upcoming fall producer meetings. Feedback will be accepted until October 31, 2026.
KEY FACTS
What is the Western Milk Pooling Agreement?
The Western Milk Pooling Agreement is an agreement between British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Canadian Dairy Commission. It helps the western provinces work together on dairy marketing by sharing milk markets, producer revenues, costs, risks, and opportunities.
Why is it being updated?
The agreement was created in 1997 and last updated in 2000. Since then, the dairy industry has changed. The updated agreement reflects how the Western Milk Pool operates today and makes the rules clearer for the future.
What stays the same?
The main purpose of the agreement is not changing. It will continue to:
- Share producer revenues across the four western provinces
- Treat the region as one shared milk market
- Share key costs and risks across the region
- Support regional decision-making by the provincial milk boards and the Canadian Dairy Commission
What is changing?
The updated agreement puts past industry decisions into writing and adds clearer rules for how the pool is managed. Key changes include:
- Moving to all-milk pooling
- Using current milk classification and pricing systems
- Confirming each province’s base quota
- Sharing more costs, including some transportation, audit, unmarketable milk, cream, processor insolvency, and Dairy Innovation West standby fee costs
- Clarifying membership changes, dispute resolution, enforcement, and decision-making
What are the expected benefits?
The updated agreement is expected to:
- Make regional collaboration stronger
- Reduce barriers to moving milk across provinces
- Support competitiveness and processor investment
- Provide clearer, more modern rules for the future