DISCUSSION ON CARBON PRICING NEEDED IN ATLANTIC CANADA SAYS HEAD OF COMMISSION … SAPUTO TO REFUSE TO BUY MILK FROM FARMERS THAT DON’T TREAT ANIMALS HUMANELY … ROBOTICS MODERNIZES NOVA SCOTIA DAIRY FARM IN RURAL HANTS COUNTY … GLOBAL DAIRY COSTS DROP TO 5-YEAR LOW ON RECORD MILK PRODUCTION
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

DISCUSSION ON CARBON PRICING NEEDED IN ATLANTIC CANADA SAYS HEAD OF COMMISSION
Source: GlobalNews.ca
The chairman of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission says the time is right for governments in Atlantic Canada to consider some form of carbon pricing. Chris Ragan says the idea is a growing global trend with 40 national and 20 sub-national jurisdictions involved in either carbon tax or cap-and-trade initiatives. Ragan says a carbon tax in particular is a better option for the economy and the environment for provinces looking to increase revenues than other options such as increasing corporate, personal, and sales taxes. He says it’s a matter of being at the forefront of an increasing worldwide demand for low-carbon products. (read more)

SAPUTO TO REFUSE TO BUY MILK FROM FARMERS THAT DON’T TREAT ANIMALS HUMANELY
Source: Canadian Business
Canada’s largest diary processor, Montreal-based Saputo, is hoping to spur the adoption of global animal welfare standards by refusing to buy milk from farmers that don’t treat their animals humanely. The change is part of a new animal welfare policy the company released Monday, nearly a year after it became entangled in a controversy when an undercover video was made public showing cows being punched, kicked and beaten with pipes at one of its suppliers. (read more)

ROBOTICS MODERNIZES NOVA SCOTIA DAIRY FARM IN RURAL HANTS COUNTY
Source: NovaNewsNow
Caseydale Farms, a dairy farm in West Hants, is oddly quiet. You don’t hear the telltale mooing you might expect when you walk inside the barn. The cows happily munch on feed, lay on their beds, and plod along at a slow pace. Brian Casey, co-owner of the farm says that’s because the cows are happy. “Usually when you come in the door at a dairy farm you’ll hear cows balling and blatting,”Brian said. “You don’t hear a single cow here, and that’s a good sign.” Brian said it’s because their recently upgraded barn uses robots to milk the cows. That’s right. Robots. (read more)

GLOBAL DAIRY COSTS DROP TO 5-YEAR LOW ON RECORD MILK PRODUCTION
Source: The Bullvine
An abundance of milk from New Zealand to Europe is driving global dairy costs to the lowest in five years. Prices have plunged almost 40 percent from a record in February 2014 as farmers ramped up production and Chinese demand slowed, according to a United Nations measure of dairy products. Global production of milk, cheese, and butter will rise to records this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (read more)