Class 7 milk provisions have created a loophole in the North American Free Trade Agreement that America intends to exploit
There’s no way to provide a brief history of the evolution of Class 7 milk. But it is possible to untangle the factors that led to the creation of possibly the single biggest American complaint about Canada’s trade behaviour, one that has threatened to cause the unravelling of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Nothing […] Read moreNAFTA — page 4
Dishing on the dairy industry
Thanks to CNN and Fox News and constant exposure to American media, the typical Canadian spends a great deal of time talking about politics in the United States. The relationship isn’t reciprocal. Few Americans have dinner table arguments about the Trans-Mountain pipeline or French language issues in Quebec. However, there’s at least one exception to […] Read more
Supply management works for Canada
The conflicting arguments surrounding Canada’s supply management system are bewildering. It’s either the model for a properly managed food system that is the envy of farmers in other countries or a ruthless Soviet-styled anachronism that is gouging consumers. Canada’s supply management system has its warts, but an analysis of the arguments, including the Western Producer’s […] Read more
Wisconsin dairy farmers seek Canadian advice
Some American dairy groups are pondering implementing inventory management to avoid oversupplies of milk
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisconsin — Not long ago in America’s dairy industry, supply management was about as popular as a rodent at a garden party. Mentioning it out loud in Washington or at state legislatures was “toxic,” said Julie Keown-Bomar, executive director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. “It had so much baggage attached to it. People […] Read more
What happens if we end supply management?
What would happen if supply management disappeared and dairy farmers were thrust into a free market? It’s not likely to happen, since even the administration of United States President Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be trying to entirely eliminate the system that controls Canadian dairy production and imports. But to understand how much the present […] Read more
Dairy farmer worked both sides of the border
PARMA, Idaho — Allan Huttema has operated dairy farms on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Near Chilliwack, B.C., he owned a dairy established by his grandfather who emigrated from Holland after the Second World War. He bought the farm from his father in the early 1990s. “The system was good for us. It provided […] Read more
Why are Minnesota dairy farmers in the red?
Four years ago, Minnesota dairy farmers had few reasons to complain. Milk prices were sky high and profits were through the roof. In 2014, the net income of the median dairy farm in Minnesota was US$137,962. The average dairy farmer in the state has around 200 cows, so that works out to $690 in profit […] Read more
The word is Class; the number is 7
MERIDIAN, Idaho — One word and one number form the crux of the dairy stumbling block in ongoing negotiations for a new North American Free Trade Agreement. Class 7, Canada’s recently developed pricing policy for milk protein concentrates, has reduced American milk exports to Canada at a time when U.S. milk prices are low and […] Read more
U.S. dairy farmers respond to Canadians
MERIDIAN, Idaho — There’s robust defence of supply management among Canadian dairy producers and marketing boards. They often compare the system to that of the United States, a supply-and-demand driven system that would likely be the alternative should supply management ever disappear. Among the assertions made by Canadian defenders are these: U.S. dairy producers are […] Read more
Trudeau urges some U.S. flexibility in NAFTA
WASHINGTON/OTTAWA (Reuters) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday he wanted to see flexibility from the United States if the two sides are to reach a deal on renewing NAFTA, which Washington insists must be finished by the end of the month. Ottawa is pushing back against increasing pressure by the administration of U.S. […] Read more
