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Harming Canadian dairy is a bad trade

Is Canada prepared to abandon its dairy and poultry farmers to a race to the bottom?
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Those who are trying to eliminate the supply management of Canadian milk and poultry want to sacrifice family farms for a cookie-cutter global system. (File photo)

BY MARJORIE STEWART

Admittedly President Trump’s attack on the Canadian dairy trade for being protectionist sounds foolish when delivered at a rally promoting ‘buy/hire American’ to protect U.S. trade. But despite the apparently irresistible urge to grandstand to U.S. dairy farmers in Wisconsin, Trump’s outburst places him squarely on the side of the free trade agreements he has been criticizing.

The ongoing opposition to supply management of Canadian dairy and poultry trade heated up with preliminary negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership which Trump vowed to prevent. The U.S., New Zealand and Australian representatives were united in demanding an end to the Canadian dairy and poultry boards which manage the supply of products to protect Canadian producers from market fluctuations.

The arguments against supply management include the expectation that we would trade Canadian farm production for jobs in other sectors and claim that doing away with supply management will make way for cheaper products from bigger producers.

Is Canada prepared to abandon its dairy and poultry farmers to a race to the bottom based on cheapness rather than quality? Even Stephen Harper, who never met a trade agreement he wouldn’t sign, drew the line at interfering with the system which shields our farmers from competition riddled with tax-funded subsidies.

Dairy Farmers of Canada says, “Canadian dairy farming is one of the few agricultural sectors that are self-sufficient – providing income security for farmers and requiring no government subsidy.” They further note that of the $2.50 paid for a glass of milk in a restaurant, the Canadian farmer receives 20 cents and at the same time the U.S. taxpayer subsidizses the price of a litre of milk by 31 cents.

Multinational corporations have only one goal: to maximize profit. Quality standards are sacrificed for cheapness and appearance. Much of the profit goes to unreasonable incomes for upper management as well as unearned income for shareholders. The din of advertising and the overuse of addictive substances such as sugar and the casein in cheese serve to distract consumers from the reality that the cheap food they purchase is bad for their health.

At a time when transnational food systems are failing and the value of local food is increasingly seen as the solution, increasing dependence on a small number of mammoth enterprises seems short-sighted. Those who are trying to eliminate the supply management of Canadian milk and poultry want to sacrifice family farms for a cookie-cutter global system in which each producing country participates in the same corporate model.

We encourage our children to enjoy stories of family farms because such enterprises are rooted in the reality of the work that brings wholesome food to family tables. Part of reinstating the family experience is to protect what we know is good for us.

Marjorie Stewart is past chairwoman of the Nanaimo Foodshare Society. She can be reached at marjorieandalstewart@gmail.com