Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is watching closely as Canada rejoins the NAFTA negotiations following an agreement in principle on a bilateral ‘US-Mexico Trade agreement’, announced yesterday.
DFC is awaiting further details from the Canadian government as to how Canada will re-engage as part of the negotiation.
DFC representatives will be heading to Washington this week. “We will continue to advocate to ensure Canadian dairy farmers not be negatively impacted as a consequence of any trade agreement,” said Pierre Lampron, president of DFC.
Canada’s dairy farmers are counting on the Canadian government’s leadership to ensure that our nation’s right to determine and administer our own domestic policies continues to be respected. As the Prime Minister indicated last month, and reiterated today, “I want to reiterate my strong support and our government’s strong support for dairy farmers across our country. Our system of supply management is a model that provides a fair price for farmers, stability for processors and high quality dairy products at an affordable price, and it sustains farming families and rural communities across Canada. Make no mistake, we will continue to protect and defend our supply managed system, that includes at the NAFTA table”.
A recent Nanos Research poll revealed that the majority of Canadians support the supply management system and almost two in three Canadians think the government should strongly defend the dairy sector during NAFTA negotiations. The poll also uncovered that nearly eight in ten Canadians would look favourably on politicians who defend Canada’s dairy sector in NAFTA negotiations.
Key facts :
- Canada currently imports over 10% tariff-free of dairy products consumed in Canada while the US imports about 3% of its dairy consumption.
- Canadian dairy farmers do not rely on subsidies to produce milk thanks to supply management. Europeans and Americans pay twice for their milk — once in the store and a second time through subsidies.
- Dairy is one of the top two agricultural sectors in 7 of 10 Canadian provinces.
- The sector contributes $20B to Canada’s GDP and provides employment to 220,000 Canadians.
- The Canadian dairy industry contributed $3.8B in local, provincial and federal taxes.
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canada’s farmers. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy sector, today and in the future. It works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy farming and promote dairy products and their health benefits.
