Holstein Canada is the sole provider of these services in all provinces except Saskatchewan, where other options are available to producers.
These assessments “provide indicators of general dairy cattle welfare or a systemic overview,” a fact sheet says. “Individual herd assessments provide a benchmark for each herd, giving farmers an opportunity to monitor continuous improvement over time.”
Highlights from the partnership include:
- Prices for standard cattle assessments will remain the same, at $125 herd visit fee and $7/animal assessed.
- Other specialty services include service in 6-months, 4-months or 30-days (with an applicable service fee).
- HC and DFC have made other improvements to the contract in areas such as assessor consistency and streamlining processes.
Supporting dairy farmers in caring for their herds provides assurance that Canadian dairy is of the highest quality.
“Canadian dairy farmers produce some of the best milk in the world and our stringent standards are reflected in the consumer-facing Blue Cow logo. Partnering with DFC for cattle assessment services helps us maintain trust and transparency, and we look forward to continuing to work together,” Holstein Canada said in a statement.