Over 6 billion litres of Canadian milk discarded since 2012, study finds

A new study estimates more than 6 billion litres of milk has been discarded on Canadian dairy farms since 2012.

The study from Aalborg University, the University of Michigan and Dalhousie University estimates the country has discarded between 6.8 billion and 10 billion litres of milk, valued at up to $14.9 billion.

At the upper estimate, the wasted milk contributed to around 8.4 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions.

The discarded milk could have fed more than 4.2 million Canadians annually, the study said.

Authored by Thomas Elliot (Aalborg University), Benjamin Goldstein (University of Michigan), and Sylvain Charlebois (Dalhousie University), the study will be included in the January 2025 issue of environmental journal Ecological Economics.

"This study shows that milk wastage is not just a problem of inefficiency; it's a critical sustainability issue. With proper reforms, the Canadian dairy industry can make a meaningful impact on reducing waste and aligning with broader food system sustainability goals,” Charlebois said in a release.

READ: Canada can easily fix its milk dumping problem

Researchers are calling for reforms to address overproduction in the dairy sector.

Those include mandatory reporting on surplus milk production, adjusted dairy quotas and penalties for overproduction.