We have been operating a dairy farm in Innisfail for over 20 years. We farm here with our family. I would like to weigh into the debate on supply management, as it’s important to my family and our community.
Supply management is a system that balances supply and demand, that way over supply and wasted milk doesn’t happen here in Canada, it simply means that we don’t heavily export milk, it keeps our milk local so your glass of milk is from local farms like mine.
Under NAFTA, Americans want access to our market because they have a serious milk over supply problem. They blame this on Canada, however the state of Wisconsin produces more milk than all of Canada, so it wouldn’t take long before they would just fill up Canada too. Milk and milk products are not more expensive here than in the U.S. according to A.C. Nielson. We’re also self-sufficient so we don’t get a dime in subsidies i.e consumer tax dollars from the government (unlike every other dairy market in the world).
Canada also has stricter milk quality and cheese standards compared to the Americans. Why would we want a lesser quality product? Added hormones are completely illegal in my cows.
I support agriculture commodities that rely on exporting. It always has been possible to defend the interests of all different types of farmers that exist in our community.
Supply management works for us farmers, consumers and our communities.
Pieter IJff, Red Deer County