Thank you.
On behalf of the Dairy Processors Association of Canada, thank you for the invitation to appear today to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Canada's dairy processing sector. I am the vice-chair of the DPAC board and the president and CEO of Vitalus Nutrition. Joining me on this call are Dominique Benoit, treasurer of the DPAC board; and Gilles Froment, secretary of the DPAC board.
In these difficult times, DPAC is grateful for those who continue to work diligently to provide Canadians with essential goods and services. Like all Canadians, we are especially thankful for the hard work and dedication of our health care providers.
I want to highlight the work done by the dairy sector to ensure continuity of dairy product supply in Canada. These are unprecedented times, and dairy producers and processors working together are doing their part.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the dairy industry has donated almost five million litres of milk, which has been processed into nutritious dairy products and distributed to food banks right across Canada. This speaks to the strong commitment of dairy producers and processors towards their respective communities.
COVID-19 has put a lot of pressure on all aspects of the country's economic and social infrastructure. Canada's food manufacturers are no exception, and dairy processors are under tremendous strain today as they adapt to the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Providing Canadians with a continuous and ample supply of nutritious dairy products, while protecting employees' health, remains the very top priority of dairy processors.