Incentive Day Issued – November 2021 Due to the recent floods in British Columbia and the challenges associated with production and transportation, the Milk Board has issued 1 incentive day for the month of November in the conventional market.
This incentive day has been issued to ensure all available milk in the province that can be accessed will be utilized. The Board trusts that this measure will help those that have produced milk in excess of their CDQ. Producers are encouraged to support the industry as we continue to move towards a more stable environment.
Milk Pickup Update: We continue to be challenged in all regions in the province. Please read below for the up-to-date status for your region. We understand the challenge of the unknown many producers are questioning while we attempt to recover. Please understand our transporters and BC MILK staff are working at all hours to get your milk picked up, but we cannot yet feasibly pickup all farms due to flooding, roadways, and resource constraints. The status of highways continue to change everyday.
The following regions of the province are still affected as follows:
Producers in Abbotsford (Under Sumas Prairie Boil Water Advisory): Please follow direction for water testing from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. We can only pick up your milk if you are following their water testing protocols with clean potable water. Please contact Erin Cuthbert (Erin.Cuthbert@gov.bc.ca) if you have any questions about the water testing procedure. Fraser Analytics in Abbotsford is available to perform water tests, including weekend hours.
Producers in Chilliwack: All producers are now scheduled to be picked up and back to their normal schedule, although there may be delays. Roadways are still volatile, and this could change.
Producers in Agassiz East of the Woodside Mudslide: All producers are now scheduled to be picked up and back to their normal schedule, although there may be delays. Roadways are still volatile, and this could change.
Producers in the Creston/Kootenays: Will have continued pickup as we can deliver to Alberta. This may switch to deliveries in the Lower Mainland at some point but is dependent on highway conditions.
Producers on Vancouver Island: Will have continued pickup, with limited disruption.
Producers in the Interior and Bulkley Valley/Prince George Region: We ask for your continued patience. Some limited access through Highway 3 has opened up a channel between the interior and the lower mainland but has not yet solved all of our transportation challenges. This access is a large detour and has heavy traffic and long delays. We will get some limited trucks through here and will provide updates when we can increase.
Producers in the BC Interior: Normal pickup was to resume effective yesterday and will occur on your ‘normal’ pickup day and time. However, we are currently experiencing closures on highway 3 which may disrupt milk pickup starting tomorrow.
If no pickup occurs, you are asked to only dump your milk at intervals when you would ‘normally’ be picked up – every other day. Trucks may be late, so your milk disposal should occur prior to the milking after your ‘normal pickup’ timing.
The organic producers in the region were planned for a normal pickup schedule as well, but may be disrupted due to highway 3 closures.
Producers in Prince George/Bulkley Valley/Smithers: Will not be picked up until further notice. A few select producers have been called and will be picked up based on limited resources. There are limited roads available to enter the Lower Mainland for milk delivery, and only limited access to Alberta. Please note, the current disruption and closure on Highway 3 increases our challenges of picking up this region but we are still actively working on solutions for this region.
Milking & Pickups Times If your farm has changed milking times because of recent events or have not yet updated milking times to BC Milk, please go to the following link on our website to update these times. Having up to date information assists BC Milk and our transporters to route efficiently and ensure your milk is picked up at the appropriate times: BC Milk Transportation Database Survey
Disposal and Reporting If you are asked to dispose of your milk, align the disposal with ‘normal’ pickup schedule into your manure pit, as we are unsure exactly when pickup can resume. Please do so responsibly. Before disposing, record your dipstick measurement and send in an email:
- Your dipstick reading or volume
- IRMA
- Date of disposal
Please send the above to Lisa Gruban: lgruban@bcmilk.com
With the significant amount of milk dumping and transportation challenges, all producers in the province should log into the MMS Producer Portal and check their milk pickups to ensure all milk pickups have been reported. Payment for your milk is based directly from the volumes shown in the Pickup History screen (under the Test Results drop down), so if you are missing any pickups, you should report these as soon as possible. You can log into the MMS Producer Portal here: MMS login
If you have questions related to your farm, the impact on quota, quality, transport, or finances, please refer to the BC MILK staff directory: Contact Us: BCMMB Staff Members