Working collectively to protect farmers, dairy herds, consumers and the Canadian dairy industry.
DairyTrace is the national dairy cattle traceability program administered by Lactanet Canada in partnership with Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC).
Who is Involved in DairyTrace?
About the structure and governance of DairyTrace
Traceability supports the sustainability and viability of the Canadian dairy industry. It helps protect against and prevent disease spread, which means more sustainable food production.
Traceability data collected by DairyTrace is stored for emergency management and other industry value‐added purposes. This information is required by the Federal Government as Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations of dairy cattle animals in Canada under the direction of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), as well as by DFC as part of proAction.
Funding for the development of the DairyTrace program was initially supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) via Growing Forward 2 and is currently funded from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program.
Lactanet Canada provides dairy producers with innovative herd management products and services to maximize productivity and profitability.
Lactanet offers a wide range of options for milk recording, herd management, diagnostic lab testing, traceability, genetics, and breeding to deliver quality milk and strengthen the productive life of the herd.
Who is Lactanet?
Lactanet has 11 members on their Board of Directors. As a farmer-led organization, 10 of these members are licensed dairy producers in Canada. This governance structure helps guide Lactanet in achieving its vision and mission.
The Lactanet Board of Directors has established a DairyTrace Advisory Committee that includes producers, representatives and experts from various dairy industry organizations.
With traceability being part of the six key modules within proAction®, Dairy Farmers of Canada has both a proAction® Committee and a Traceability Technical Committee that are linked to the DairyTrace program.
Since the late 1990s, agricultural crisis such as mad cow, scrapie, the Avian flu and foot-and-mouth disease brought attention to devise a system that would safeguard public health, animal welfare and our economy.
1997 – Canadian Quality Milk (CQM) program development started by Dairy Farmers of Canada.
1998 – Introduction of a voluntary multi-species National Livestock Identification for Dairy (NLID) program with barcodes on animal tags.
2001 – Ear tag cattle identification (ID) is mandatory under federal regulation.
2003 – Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) animal ID tags change with ISO 3166 numbering system.
2010 – Improvements to tag quality, standards, cost, and distribution enhances the program.
2015 – 99% of registered dairy farms are part of Canadian Quality Milk (CQM) program and Dairy Farmers of Canada launches proAction®.
2017 – Canadian Dairy Network (CDN) qualifies to become the national responsible administrator for dairy cattle traceability.
2019 – Lactanet Canada is formed from the partnership of Canadian Dairy Network (CDN), CanWest DHI and Valacta.
2020 – Lactanet Canada is granted official status by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as the national responsible administrator for dairy bovine animals in Canada and launches DairyTrace.
2022 – 97% of active dairy producers in Canada have activated their DairyTrace accounts. There is a 22% increase in white tag sales from 2021.
As technology evolves, opportunities related to traceability will emerge. This could include tag quality/retention and facial recognition for recording groups of animals moving from premises to premises. In addition to tracking and disease detection, facial recognition also offers information on the behaviour and characteristics of the animals for improved herd health and welfare.
Lactanet’s Vision
To be a driving force for a sustainable and prosperous Canadian Dairy industry.
Lactanet’s Mission
The leading provider of services, knowledge and progressive herd management solutions for Canadian dairy farmers and industry partners.
Lactanet’s Core Values
We provide the dairy industry with access to essential, progressive, and science-based resources for a thriving sustainable future by adapting to the changing needs of our customers and business environment.
We take pride in working with dairy farms and industry partners to deliver quality products and services that support their business objectives.
We act with integrity and are committed to the accuracy of our data and analytical services that are driven by science-based decisions as we practice responsible data stewardship on behalf of our industry.
We practice inclusivity and respect diverse views of our team, our customers and everyone we work with.
We champion our people and collaborate with national and international partners on opportunities that create value for the Canadian dairy industry.
We facilitate industry initiatives, create opportunities and maintain transparency to make our industry stronger.
DairyTrace
660 Speedvale Avenue West, Suite 101
Guelph, Ontario N1K 1E5
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