Unseasonably warm temperatures and severe storms have pushed Canada’s maple syrup production to a five-year low.
Newly released data from Statistics Canada shows that producers across the country harvested 47.4 million litres of maple syrup in 2023, down 40% from 79.1 million litres in 2022.
Production during 2022 was the highest recorded since the federal statistics agency started compiling maple syrup statistics back in 1924.
Production from Quebec, the country's top supplier, was down 41% to 42.7 million litres this year, mostly due to an ice storm in late spring that resulted in lower yields.
New Brunswick's maple syrup production declined by 35% and Ontario’s output fell by 15% in 2023, yielding a combined 4.7 million litres between them.
Statistics Canada said the production declines are largely due to bad weather throughout the country this past year, including higher than normal temperatures, flooding, and forest fires.
