Quebec dairy farmers will get to share $3.6 million to move closer to their goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Quebec's minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, André Lamontagne, and his colleague in the environment, climate change, wildlife and parks department, Benoit Charette, will make the announcement Thursday afternoon on the sidelines of the annual Quebec dairy producers' general meeting, which is being held in Saint-Hyacinthe since Wednesday.
The financial aid, granted over five years and stemming from the Plan for a Green Economy 2030, aims to reduce methane emissions by 14 to 16 per cent per kilo of milk produced.
According to MAPAQ figures, methane accounts for 54 per cent of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) attributed to Quebec's agricultural sector, and emissions from enteric fermentation, i.e. cattle digestion, account for two-thirds of these GHGs.
The financial assistance will support the three components of the dairy producers' project, namely the design of a tool that will make it possible to monitor methane emissions from cows using samples of tank milk collected from various Quebec farms, the analysis and identification of best practices for reducing these emissions, and the awareness-raising and training of agricultural advisors and dairy producers in adopting them.
The dairy sector generates $12.1 billion in revenue annually, making it the most lucrative agricultural sector in Quebec.
The province is also the largest producer of milk in the country, with nearly 37 per cent of the Canadian market share.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 20, 2023.
