To think of the Canadian dairy industry as an add-on to businesses in the USA would be a grave error. Dairy in Canada is lively in its own right, although trade with its neighbour is obviously important. As in so many other countries, the Canadian dairy industry has seen high levels of consolidation. According to the Canadian government, there were 292 dairy plants in Canada in 2003. That compares with 1,41 3 in 1964. It is therefore not surprising that 70 per cent of all milk in Canada is processed by just 15 per cent of the plants and that these are owned by just three companies -Saputo, Agropur and Parmalat Canada. Each company represents a very different approach: Saputo is a private Canadian company; Agropur is a co-operative; and Parmalat is part of the troubled Italian group.
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