Statement on Flooding in the Fraser Valley and BC’s State of Emergency

On November 18, 2021, in response to extreme weather events in the southwestern region of the province and the Fraser Valley in particular, the Government of British Columbia declared a provincial state of emergency to mitigate the impacts on transportation networks and the movement of essential goods and supplies, including raw milk and finished dairy products.

​All WDC members in British Columbia and several outside the province have been directly affected by the events and resulting disruptions to the dairy supply chain. The Fraser Valley accounts for three-quarters of British Columbia’s milk supply and is home to several major processing plants. The disastrous flooding of more than sixty dairy farms and the closing of all access routes into and out of the region has inhibited the supply of milk to processing plants throughout the Lower Mainland. 

The Western Dairy Council is working closely with the BC Milk Marketing Board, the
​BC Dairy Association, the Canadian Dairy Commission and the Dairy Processors Association of Canada along with all federal, provincial and local government authorities to respond quickly and effectively to supply chain disruptions resulting from these events. As always, our primary interest to make sure consumers have ready access to fresh dairy products wherever they are located. We applaud and support the efforts of everyone in the dairy industry, in government and in the local communities to restore the supply chains and get products to market as quickly as possible despite the circumstances.