COUNTRY REPORT ▶▶▶


The report rec- ommends initi- ating a 20-year plan to reduce general tariffs, incentivise inno- vation, develop an exporting plan and create a Canadian brand.


PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


dairy sector remains attuned to emerging consumer trends and well-positioned in the sustainable economy of the future. “[It’s] a vision which will continue to ensure that the dairy sector is an important source of jobs, growth and innovation, food security for Canadians and high-quality domestic dairy for future generations,” Lampron added.


Farmers weigh in It’s difficult to find a single dairy farmer in Canada who will speak out against supply management. Ontario-based dairy farmer Patrick Dawson (not his real name) agreed to speak anonymously, saying he is afraid of the repercussions of speaking honestly on the record. Dawson was once a big promoter of supply management, but feels the sector has lost touch. The industry, he said, has been weakened by trade deals and consumer confidence, and no longer has a truly Canadian brand. He is critical of the fact that this Supply Management 2.0 plan has come from a public institution and not the marketing board that is supposed to have farmers’ best interests at heart. Criticisms like his are few and far between, though. Most dairy farmers in Canada express gratitude for the system. Fourth generation dairy farmer Scott Judd of Shawville, Que- bec listened to the points made by Charlebois in a recent au- dio interview and said he’s concerned about the proposal. “I realised quickly that his idea of dairy farmers leaving the in- dustry are those farmers who he deems not progressive enough to continue, including farmers who are happy with their herd size,” he said. Judd expressed concerns over Charlebois’ use of the word ‘ef- ficiency’, which he says pits the west against the east and fits his agenda in terms of tearing apart the interprovincial


18 ▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 5, 2020


agreements that farmers respect. Most of Canada’s dairy is produced in two provinces: Ontario and Quebec. Judd said the report’s comments about the CDC are not un- warranted, though. “There are always improvements that can be made,” he said. Judd believes Canadian dairy farmers could become exporters, but of quality milk not industrial milk. In- dustrial milk can be made cheaper in New Zealand and on large, corporate farms. “We do not need to compete against those farmers,” he said. In fact, the many criticisms Charlebois has against supply management are the very reasons Judd loves the system. “Supply management shares the cost among all farmers, whether they be efficient in his mind or inefficient,” he said. “It levels the field, it makes our prices predictable – not high and not low, but predictable and fair.” Harm Kelly, a cash crop and dairy farmer from Dunnville, On- tario is also grateful for supply management, especially now. “I know that through this Covid pandemic, Canadian dairy farmers – although nervous about the impact on the supply chain – are so thankful,” he said. “Because of supply manage- ment and the strength of our marketing boards and our pro- cessing sectors’ collective efforts, we have been able to na- tionally coordinate milk production needs in response to processing challenges across the country. “Those costs have been shared among all farmers equally, so the processing bottlenecks did not unduly ruin certain pockets of producers,” he added. “As national food security becomes a more pressing issue, and global trade proves to be more uncertain than we would like to admit, I think the benefits of supply management shine bright in comparison to other marketing models,” Kelly concluded.


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