After months of escalating criticism of the supply management system by academics, free trade economists and media, Dairy Farmers of Canada has decided to fight back.
The calls for the end of supply management or at least the erosion of its tariff protection regime have been piling on from business lobbyists, trade experts, export advocates and media commentators who see supply management protectionism as a contradiction of Canada’s trade liberalization stance and a food price burden on consumers.
During its annual policy convention Feb. 1, the dairy farmer lobby announced creation of a website aimed at “getting the facts straight.” The site at www.yourmilk.ca will offer the industry answer to criticisms that supply management stops Canada from signing trade deals, includes subsidies and is unique in managing dairy imports.
Read Also
NFU says proposed plant breeders’ rights come at farmers’ expense
The National Farmers Union is pushing back against changes to the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act that would narrow the scope of farmers’ right to save seed or propagate crops from cuttings and tubers.
In all cases, those allegations are wrong, said DFC.
“I think it’s important for us to continue to tell our story,” DFC president Wally Smith said in a Feb. 2 interview. “In the absence of us telling our story, others will, and either intentionally or because they don’t have all the information, the true story isn’t always one that is communicated.”
The supply management system continues to enjoy strong support across the political spectrum, evidenced this week by continued promises of support from all parties during DFC Parliament Hill lobbying.
And chief federal agriculture trade negotiator Gilles Gauthier assured DFC delegates that supply management protections continue to be defended in trade negotiations.
