PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec rewards three dairy farms for their top quality milk in Quebec
Saint-Hyacinthe, April 19, 2023 – Ferme Morine in Coaticook, Ferme J.P. & M.L. Forcier in Saint-Louis and Ferme Michel Paiement in Mirabel finished in the top three places in Quebec for the exceptional quality of their milk. They received the Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards respectively in the 2022 edition of the Lait’xcellent competition. The recipients were revealed at the 2023 Annual General Meeting of Les Producteurs de lait du Québec.
Videos showing the 2022 Lait’xcellent competition winners can be viewed on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3A9O8TJ.
2022 Gold Lait’xcellent Award
Ferme Morine, Coaticook, Estrie
Véronique Lévesque and Réjean Morin have been the owners of Ferme Morine, located in Coaticook in the Estrie region, since 2001. They are the third generation to run the farm. This is the third consecutive year that they have made the podium of the Lait’xcellent competition. The couple works very rigorously to keep its herd of 65 cows healthy, which includes 35 lactating cows. This is their priority. For them, milk quality is in the fine details. For instance, they make several rounds a day on the farm to ensure that the cows are dry. At Ferme Morine, producing quality milk is both a labour of love and a family project. Their son Frédéric will begin working full time on the farm this summer and their son Jérémi is
also interested in joining the family business.
In addition to being three-time provincial finalists in the Lait’xcellent competition, Ferme Morine has received two “Great Distinction” and five “Very Great Distinction” certificates in recent years.
2022 Silver Lait’xcellent Award
Ferme J.P. & M.L. Forcier, Saint-Louis, Montérégie-Est
Martin and his father Jean-Pierre Forcier are owners of Ferme J.P. & M.L. Forcier, located in SaintLouis in the Montérégie-Est region. Martin joined the enterprise in 2014. He is the third generation to run the farm and this is the first time that he has been one of the provincial winners of the competition. Martin is a detail-oriented producer who takes great care of his farm. He does a lot of preventive work, scrapes the stalls several times a day and looks after the health of each and every cow. The 90-cow herd, including 45 lactating cows, have lived in free stalls and been milked robotically since 2019 – a project that began in 2016. Martin is fortunate to have his family to help out in the barn.
In addition to this second place finish in the province, Ferme J.P. & M.L. Forcier has won five “Great Distinction” certificates and one “Very Great Distinction” certificate in recent years. They are the second robotic milking producers to be provincial finalists in the competition.
2022 Bronze Lait’xcellent Award
Ferme Michel Paiement, Mirabel, Outaouais-Laurentides
In 2009, Michel Paiement took over the reins of the family farm located in Mirabel, in the OutaouaisLaurentides region. He is the third generation to run this farm. The farm has approximately sixty cows, of which around thirty are lactating. Passionate about genetics, Michel cross-breeds and breeds six different races. Although he really likes his job and its range of different tasks, it is his cows that he likes the most. He looks after their health to keep them on the farm for a very long time. Michel can count on help from his son Mavrick in the various tasks he performs on the farm.
The enterprise has often been one of the best in its region in terms of milk quality and is a Lait’xcellent winner for the second time in Quebec, a point of great pride for Michel who does not want to stop there! It has also received three “Very Great Distinction” certificates in recent years.
Milk quality, a priority for producers
Quebec and Canada have some of the highest milk quality standards in the industry, which specifically include very strict requirements on the absence of antibiotics in milk and a ban on using growth hormones for animals. Quebec milk producers engage in optimal quality practices by complying with the very strict rules of the Canadian Quality Milk program, which is designed to prevent, monitor and reduce food safety risks on farms. This program is a module of proAction, the sound and sustainable governance program for Canadian dairy farms.
About Lait’xcellent
The Lait’xcellent competition has been held every year since 1987 by Les Producteurs de lait du Québec to reward the dairy farms in each region that achieve the best quality results as well as three provincial winners. More details on the contest.
About Les Producteurs de lait du Québec
About Les Producteurs de lait du Québec
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec, affiliated with the UPA, represents Quebec’s 4,087 dairy farms, which deliver roughly 3.60 billion litres of milk, for a total of over $3.61 billion in farm revenues. Milk production and processing create around 66,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs in Quebec and contribute as much as $6.1 billion to the gross domestic product. Ultimately, they generate over $1 billion in tax revenues. The dairy sector’s impacts are critical because they play a role in land occupancy and maintenance of the social fabric across the province. Through its sponsorship and milk donation program, Les Producteurs de lait du Québec not only supports key events in Quebec society, but also helps eliminate hunger and ensure food security. Because they care about sustainable development in their sector, dairy producers invested $649 million in 2025 in machinery, equipment and buildings, specifically to improve their practices and the comfort of their animals.
For more information, visit our website at www.lait.org or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
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François Dumontier
Director – Communications, Public Affairs and Union
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec
Office : (438) 315-9129
Cell : (514) 713-0530
[email protected]