Dairy Direct Payment Program: 2. Eligibility

2. Eligibility

Check if you meet the criteria to apply.

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

You’re a cow's milk producer with a valid dairy quota license registered with a provincial milk marketing board or agency as of August 31, 2025
"Producers of cow's milk with a valid dairy quota license" means a producer of cow's milk holding dairy quota issued by a provincial milk marketing board. This includes producers under a new entrant assistance program with loaned quota and/or whole-farm leases with loaned quota as of August 31, 2025.
The amount of the quota held according to the provincial milk marketing board or agency will be considered final. In the event of:
- a whole farm lease (where 100% of the quota is leased from one producer to another for an extended period of time and isn’t related to a catastrophe such as a fire or illness affecting the herd or producer), the lessee will receive the program payment
  - This doesn’t apply to partial leases
- a temporary lease of quota (or a portion of quota) from a producer to another producer for reasons such as fire or illness affecting the herd or owner, the owner of the quota will receive the program payment
You’re an individual and/or legal entity capable of entering into legally binding agreements or contracts (includes sole proprietor businesses, partnerships and corporations)
You register by the deadline March 31, 2026

You need to meet all the eligibility criteria to qualify for the program.

Ineligible recipients include:

other types of dairy producers (for example goat, sheep or water buffalo)
any applicant who does not own a valid dairy license according to provincial milk marketing board/agency records
educational organizations who do not own a valid dairy quota license
research institutions who do not own a valid dairy quota license

If you sold your farm and no longer hold quota as of August 31, 2025, you're not eligible to receive a payment for that year.