In contrast to many farm leaders, those in charge of supply management sectors told MPs recently that farm policy can also be considered social policy.
“In Canada, farming is a business but it is also a way of life,” said John Stolp, chair of the Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency.
During an appearance before the Commons agriculture committee the marketing board representatives argued Canada should not negotiate lower tariff protections for dairy, poultry and egg sectors in the next round of world trade talks. They said tariff protections help Canadian farms resist the American pressure to get bigger or become vertically integrated.
It was a deliberate policy of supply management to allow smaller family-owned farms to survive, said Canadian Egg Marketing Agency chief executive officer Neil Currie.
He said the Europeans use the term “multi-functionality.” It recognizes farming is a business, a social force and an important ingredient of a healthy rural landscape between the cities.
