(Lungkit/Shutterstock.com)

Dairy Farmers Dump Milk As Demand Plummets In Face Of COVID-19

by Emily Court | April 7, 2020

Dairy farmers in Canada are dumping cow’s milk in the face of plummeting demand — a result of the coronavirus, COVID-19.

According to recent reports, the closure of schools, restaurants, cafes and other businesses where dairy is served has left Canadian farmers significantly oversupplied.

Speaking to CBC News, Ontario dairy farmer Remko Steen said he’s had to dump 12,000 litres of the animal product.

“It’s not a good feeling,” he said. “[This is] something that I’ve worked hard for — and all my hard work is going down the drain.”

It’s unclear whether he acknowledged the contribution of the cows, who — according to his Instagram account — are hooked up to machines for milking on his industrial dairy farm.

Related stories:

• CALIFORNIA CHILD DIES AFTER CONTRACTING CORONAVIRUS
• COVID-19 DISCOVERY — SMUGGLED PANGOLINS CARRYING RELATED STRAINS
• KRISTEN BELL TO HOST TV SPECIAL FOR KIDS TACKLING CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

Animal Products & COVID-19

The dairy industry is not the only animal-food industry to be hit hard by the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

A pause on exports to China has amounted to a big hit for North America’s lobster industry, which sends as many as seven charter flights there in a single week. 

In the US, the beef — or cow meat — market has taken a hit as a result of “market uncertainty.”

Comments