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Ontario Dairy Council joins innovative Plan Zero Program

TORONTO, ON (July 29th, 2008) – The Ontario Dairy Council (ODC) and StormFisher Biogas, an Ontario-based renewable energy company, have created a partnershipn that will see the non-edible by-products from the production of milk, cheese and yogurt turned into renewable energy. The partnership was struck as part of the Plan Zero program, which means that a portion of revenue from the sale of this renewable energy will go to the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB).

ODC will work with its member organizations, which process approximately 97% of the milk produced in Ontario totalling more than $4 billion annually, to direct non-edible organic by-products to StormFisher's production facilities - called anaerobic digesters - which decompose organic matter to create electricity, natural gas and heat. Anaerobic digesters can produce energy using a wide range of organic materials, from used cooking oils to cow manure. While StormFisher is already connected to the dairy industry at the farm level, this new partnership represents the first of this scale in the Plan Zero program. StormFisher is currently developing its first biogas plants in Ontario, which will be operational in 2009.

"This is a win-win-win situation," said Tom Kane, President of ODC. "We provide a meaningful and environmentally-sustainable way for our members to dispose of unwanted by-products, StormFisher gets the materials it needs to make energy, and Ontario's food banks receive a portion of the revenues." Kane describes the partnership as a way to fulfill ODC's objective to position the industry's role in the changing environment.

"This is a great win for the OAFB and the Plan Zero partnership," said Adam Spence, Executive Director of OAFB. "The Ontario Dairy Council has a long history of supporting food banks in Ontario through their milk program. We're happy to be part of their commitment to fight hunger and climate change at the same time."

Ontario Dairy Council is the provincial trade association through which milk processors and marketers discuss matters of mutual interest and concern with representatives of government, consumers and milk producers. The Council's activities enable the Ontario dairy processing industry to tackle its challenges and meet its objectives. It adds a strong, informed voice to Industry groups.

StormFisher Biogas is an Ontario-based biogas developer and operator developing biogas installations across North America. StormFisher's biogas plants will produce electricity, natural gas and heat while reducing landfill disposal and greenhouse gas emissions, including highly polluting methane emissions. Biogas production facilities, called anaerobic digesters, accelerate the decomposition of organic matter to create a combination of methane and carbon dioxide. Digesters can produce energy using a wide range of feedstock materials, from used cooking oils to cow manure. StormFisher's operations will reduce farm and food processor disposal costs, divert valuable organic materials from landfills, and help to combat climate change by reducing emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) is a network of over 100 food banks working to end hunger across the province from Ottawa to Windsor, and Niagara Falls to Thunder Bay. 320,000 Ontarians are served by food banks every month, and 40 per cent of those served are children. The OAFB moves millions of pounds of food every year, coordinates the food bank distribution network, encourages safety and quality, provides support on development, operations, and management, and raises the profile of hunger in Ontario. OAFB member organizations distribute food through thousands of large and small programs to relieve hunger. Community agencies receiving food through OAFB member food banks include soup kitchens, shelters, community kitchens, food pantries, drop-in centres, and breakfast programs.

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For further information: Tom Kane, M.B.A., CAE, President, Ontario Dairy
Council, Tel: (905) 542-3620, Web: www.ontariodairies.ca;
Ryan Little, Vice President, Business Development, StormFisher Biogas, Tel: (416) 850-6804, Web:
www.stormfisher.com;
Adam Spence, Executive Director, Ontario Association of
Food Banks, Work: (416) 656-4100, Cell: (416) 543-0897