Canada’s NFU tweets President Trump a solution to US dairy crisis (& Letter to Trump)
[ http://www.nfu.ca/story/canada%E2%80%99 ... iry-crisis ]
(April 20, 2017 - Courtenay, BC). Today, the President of National Farmers Union (NFU) sent US President Donald Trump a letter via Twitter, encouraging him to adopt a solution that would make America’s dairy farmers great again.
“We have compassion for American family farmers who are experiencing record low farm-gate milk prices. We understand many are forced to take on terrible debt loads. Those who cannot survive this crisis are seeing their hopes and dreams dashed. This is the very situation our own farmers were in 50 years ago,” said Jan Slomp, NFU President.
“In President Trump’s speech on Tuesday, he said he wasn’t just looking for answers, he is looking for a solution,” said Jan Slomp, NFU President. “We decided to share with the President the principles of a system that will work for dairy farmers, rural communities, processors, workers consumers and governments.
“American dairy farmers are facing the same problems dairy farmers in the European Union, New Zealand and Australia are struggling with: prices so low they don’t cover the cost of production. When everyone tries to make up for low prices by producing more of a perishable product, it just makes the problem worse,” explained Slomp. “The USA cannot solve its dairy crisis by taking over the Canadian dairy market and putting our farmers out of business. But if it adopts its own supply management system, it could begin to restore prosperity to rural America.”
“This solution, which we call Supply Management, was created by Canadian farmers and governments in the late 1960s. Instead of exporting milk, we would be pleased to export this unique and successful dairy policy innovation,” added Slomp. - 30 -
For more information:
Jan Slomp, President, National Farmers Union (Canada): phone 403-704-4364
To read the letter to President Trump, see below or click here:
[ http://www.nfu.ca/sites/www.nfu.ca/file ... lution.pdf ]
NAFTA: NFU tweets solution to US dairy crisis
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NAFTA: NFU tweets solution to US dairy crisis
by Oscar » Fri Apr 28, 2017 6:53 am
- Oscar
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Re: NAFTA: NFU tweets solution to US dairy crisis
by Oscar » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:05 am
Northumberland chapter highlights NAFTA & dairy issues in op-ed
[ https://canadians.org/blog/northumberla ... sues-op-ed ]
April 27, 2017
The Council of Canadians Northumberland chapter has published an op-ed on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in Northumberland Today.
Chapter activist Rick Arnold writes, "Many of us here in Northumberland County have been transfixed by US President Donald Trump's recent harsh rhetoric towards Canada and in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's attempt to placate the White House. Free-trade proponents would have us believe that NAFTA renegotiations is like a high-stakes game of poker to see who can gain advantage and out-manoeuvre the other. But let's not be fooled for a moment that it's a battle between equals. The renegotiation of NAFTA is not going to be a win-win proposition for either junior partner, Canada or Mexico."
Arnold highlights, "Sadly, government leaders and their attendant free-trade promoters play down the fact that trade deals like NAFTA have contributed significantly to inequality, unemployment, migration, food dependency and pollution in all three nations."
As an example, he notes, "On April 18, President Trump announced that he was coming after Canada's dairy policies, alleging that they were hurting 75 Wisconsin farmers. Had Trump dug a little deeper, he would have had to face the fact that over-production of milk in the US was pushing dairy prices down and driving those small US farmers into bankruptcy. In fact, the president of the National Farmers' Union Jan Slomp recently explained in a tweet to Trump that, if the US were to adopt their own version of a supply-management system like Canada's, '...it could begin to restore prosperity to rural America'."
Arnold concludes, "Unfortunately, the Trump administration does not appear to let facts stand in their way and, for this reason, both dairy farmers and milk-product consumers in Northumberland need to beware of the upcoming NAFTA renegotiations. Small and medium-sized dairy farmers both here and across Canada should reconsider whether the traditional strategy of lobbying Ottawa will be sufficient to turn back the 'give' tide when the US NAFTA negotiators apply the screws to their Canadian counterparts. And those of us who enjoy cow's milk also need to be aware that opening up the Canadian market to US and other international dairy-production platforms will surely mean that bovine growth hormones and antibiotics will find their way into our currently unparalleled source of milk."
To read the full op-ed, please click here:
[ http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2017 ... s-on-nafta ]
Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]
Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
[ https://canadians.org/blog/northumberla ... sues-op-ed ]
April 27, 2017
The Council of Canadians Northumberland chapter has published an op-ed on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in Northumberland Today.
Chapter activist Rick Arnold writes, "Many of us here in Northumberland County have been transfixed by US President Donald Trump's recent harsh rhetoric towards Canada and in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's attempt to placate the White House. Free-trade proponents would have us believe that NAFTA renegotiations is like a high-stakes game of poker to see who can gain advantage and out-manoeuvre the other. But let's not be fooled for a moment that it's a battle between equals. The renegotiation of NAFTA is not going to be a win-win proposition for either junior partner, Canada or Mexico."
Arnold highlights, "Sadly, government leaders and their attendant free-trade promoters play down the fact that trade deals like NAFTA have contributed significantly to inequality, unemployment, migration, food dependency and pollution in all three nations."
As an example, he notes, "On April 18, President Trump announced that he was coming after Canada's dairy policies, alleging that they were hurting 75 Wisconsin farmers. Had Trump dug a little deeper, he would have had to face the fact that over-production of milk in the US was pushing dairy prices down and driving those small US farmers into bankruptcy. In fact, the president of the National Farmers' Union Jan Slomp recently explained in a tweet to Trump that, if the US were to adopt their own version of a supply-management system like Canada's, '...it could begin to restore prosperity to rural America'."
Arnold concludes, "Unfortunately, the Trump administration does not appear to let facts stand in their way and, for this reason, both dairy farmers and milk-product consumers in Northumberland need to beware of the upcoming NAFTA renegotiations. Small and medium-sized dairy farmers both here and across Canada should reconsider whether the traditional strategy of lobbying Ottawa will be sufficient to turn back the 'give' tide when the US NAFTA negotiators apply the screws to their Canadian counterparts. And those of us who enjoy cow's milk also need to be aware that opening up the Canadian market to US and other international dairy-production platforms will surely mean that bovine growth hormones and antibiotics will find their way into our currently unparalleled source of milk."
To read the full op-ed, please click here:
[ http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2017 ... s-on-nafta ]
Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]
Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9100
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
Re: NAFTA: NFU tweets solution to US dairy crisis
by Oscar » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:58 am
Council of Canadians says trading away supply management in NAFTA talks wouldn't mean cheaper milk prices
[ https://canadians.org/blog/council-cana ... eaper-milk ]
April 28, 2017 - 8:50 am
The Council of Canadians is challenging the notion that ending supply management would mean cheaper milk prices in Canada.
While US President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate Canada's "very unfair" dairy supply management system in relation to the upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expected to start in August, various right-wing voices in Canada have joined with him in dismissing a system that has served consumers and farmers well for almost 50 years.
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier, former NAFTA negotiator Derek Burney, former Canada-US FTA negotiator Gordon Ritchie, along with the Business Council of Canada and the Montreal Economic Institute, have all called for supply management to be phased out in this country.
There has also been the suggestion that if supply management were traded away in the upcoming NAFTA talks it would be a win-win - placating the US president and lower dairy prices in Canada.
Yahoo Canada News reports, "'I would have my doubts about letting us ditch supply management because it’s somehow going to automatically equate to lower prices for consumers', said Brent Patterson, political director at the Council of Canadians think tank. 'It’s ultimately about how business can profit from a new arrangement.'"
In June 2016, CBC reported, "[A study by the] Nielsen research firm, commissioned by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, suggests that the prices Canadians pay for milk are comparable to those in many countries throughout the world, at an average retail price of around $1.30 per litre. ...Americans, whom we often use as a benchmark comparison, pay slightly less at $1.15 on average."
But that article highlights, "Bruce Muirhead, a professor of history at the University of Waterloo who studies food systems, argues that those who say phasing out supply management would make milk cheaper are only looking at U.S. numbers, and that that's a misguided approach. 'Look, the dairy industry in the U.S. is heavily, heavily subsidized by the government every year', he says. In Canada, the cost of milk pays for the price of producing milk. 'So why bother shelling out billions in taxpayers' money every year to support an industry that is paying for itself? If we ditch supply management, mark my words, prices will be higher, they will not be lower', he said."
Supply management came into effect in Canada in the 1970s to regulate the supply of dairy products. The national system, managed by the Canadian Dairy Commission, means that imports of these goods are limited in areas where domestic products can meet demand. The amount of each commodity that is marketed by producers is controlled through a quota system. The system means consistent prices for both producers and consumers. The price the farmer receives is set by provincial bodies, such as the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, taking into account the Canadian Dairy Commission's study of production costs.
The Council of Canadians stands with the National Farmers Union on this issue.
Last week, National Farmers Union president Jan Slomp commented, "American dairy farmers are facing the same problems dairy farmers in the European Union, New Zealand and Australia are struggling with: prices so low they don’t cover the cost of production. ...[If the United States were to] adopt its own supply management system, it could begin to restore prosperity to rural America.”
NAFTA negotiations are expected to begin this August and conclude by April 2018.
Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
[ https://canadians.org/blog/council-cana ... eaper-milk ]
April 28, 2017 - 8:50 am
The Council of Canadians is challenging the notion that ending supply management would mean cheaper milk prices in Canada.
While US President Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate Canada's "very unfair" dairy supply management system in relation to the upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expected to start in August, various right-wing voices in Canada have joined with him in dismissing a system that has served consumers and farmers well for almost 50 years.
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier, former NAFTA negotiator Derek Burney, former Canada-US FTA negotiator Gordon Ritchie, along with the Business Council of Canada and the Montreal Economic Institute, have all called for supply management to be phased out in this country.
There has also been the suggestion that if supply management were traded away in the upcoming NAFTA talks it would be a win-win - placating the US president and lower dairy prices in Canada.
Yahoo Canada News reports, "'I would have my doubts about letting us ditch supply management because it’s somehow going to automatically equate to lower prices for consumers', said Brent Patterson, political director at the Council of Canadians think tank. 'It’s ultimately about how business can profit from a new arrangement.'"
In June 2016, CBC reported, "[A study by the] Nielsen research firm, commissioned by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, suggests that the prices Canadians pay for milk are comparable to those in many countries throughout the world, at an average retail price of around $1.30 per litre. ...Americans, whom we often use as a benchmark comparison, pay slightly less at $1.15 on average."
But that article highlights, "Bruce Muirhead, a professor of history at the University of Waterloo who studies food systems, argues that those who say phasing out supply management would make milk cheaper are only looking at U.S. numbers, and that that's a misguided approach. 'Look, the dairy industry in the U.S. is heavily, heavily subsidized by the government every year', he says. In Canada, the cost of milk pays for the price of producing milk. 'So why bother shelling out billions in taxpayers' money every year to support an industry that is paying for itself? If we ditch supply management, mark my words, prices will be higher, they will not be lower', he said."
Supply management came into effect in Canada in the 1970s to regulate the supply of dairy products. The national system, managed by the Canadian Dairy Commission, means that imports of these goods are limited in areas where domestic products can meet demand. The amount of each commodity that is marketed by producers is controlled through a quota system. The system means consistent prices for both producers and consumers. The price the farmer receives is set by provincial bodies, such as the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, taking into account the Canadian Dairy Commission's study of production costs.
The Council of Canadians stands with the National Farmers Union on this issue.
Last week, National Farmers Union president Jan Slomp commented, "American dairy farmers are facing the same problems dairy farmers in the European Union, New Zealand and Australia are struggling with: prices so low they don’t cover the cost of production. ...[If the United States were to] adopt its own supply management system, it could begin to restore prosperity to rural America.”
NAFTA negotiations are expected to begin this August and conclude by April 2018.
Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9100
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
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