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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2014-01-22, Page 3Wednesday, January 22, 2014 • Lucknow Sentinel 3 Dairy Board voices concern over trade deals Skyler Radojkovic QM! Agency "Shocked and surprised," is how Ralph Dietrich, a board member of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, described the dairy industry's reaction to details of the recently signed trade deal between Canada and the European Union. Dietrich, a board member represent- ing Grey -Bruce, spoke recently at the Grey -Bruce Farmers' Week in Elmwood to a crowd of around 80 people, includ- ing many local dairy farmers. Dietrich is himself a dairy farmer, with a herd of 60 Holstein cows near Mildmay. The trade deal, the Canadian -Euro- pean Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), was included in the federal throne speech Oct. 17. Dietrich said that the deal sent "a tremor through supply manage- ment," and that this came despite ear- lier assurances of support, and an "agreement in principle," which was reached last summer. Currently, milk produced here in Ontario, and all over Canada, is done so under a supply management system. Under this system, provincial market- ing boards, like the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, regulate the price paid to dairy farmers for their milk and control the amount each farmer produces, with what's known as a quota system. Under previous trade deals, Dietrich said, this system of supply manage- ment has been something of a "sacred cow" and that the CETA deal has set a new tone that has people in the indus- try worried. Part of that new tone, Dietrich explained, was the amount of Euro- pean cheeses which will be allowed to be imported into Canada. Not only has the amount of cheese which will be allowed in been doubled, but it will be mostly in the fine cheese market. The Dairy Farmers of Ontario esti- mate it will be 63 per cent of that Cana- dian market, meaning that this specific section of the industry will be under pressure. There is currently an import quota of 20,000 tonnes, which has been raised to 37,700 tonnes. Dietrich esti- mates that this could represent a loss in quota of 2.25%. The implementation period for this deal has been set at five years, but the dairy industry is pushing for a longer period. Now that the CETA has been signed, one way the dairy marketing boards are attempting to deal with these changes in imports, is to lobby for dairy farmers to administer the import process:this could mean money for the industry, which could be used to somehow make up for these possible losses. After what the industry sees as being QUI Agency Photo Dairy Farmers of Ontario board member Ralph Dietrich is concerned about a recent trade deal signed between Canada and the European Union. "hit by CETA", the milk marketing boards are now concerned about a pos- sible new trade deal in the works. Known as the Trans -Pacific Partner- ship, the deal is still in negotiations, but Dietrich says that they've been told that countries such as New Zealand, Aus- tralia, and the United States, all want more access to Canadian markets when it comes to dairy products. Because of what happened with CETA, Dietrich explained that this board is worried that a precedent has been set with regards to protecting dairy supply management in Canada. Although he has had conversations with local MPs including Larry Miller, he believes that they and other MPs may not be entirely aware of all the details of these trade deals, and that the Dairy Farmers of Ontario want "more transparency for MPs." Dietrich went on to say that there is currently in power, "a government who is working very narrow mindedly," when it comes to these issues. Saugeen Shores, Arran-Elderslie axed from used fuel DGR process CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 1 Both Arran-Elderslie and Saugeen Shores, however, will recieve $400,000 from the NWMO for taking part in the siting process. Luke Charbonneau, deputy -mayor for Saugeen Shores, said he was sur- prised by the NWMO's announcement. "I didn't think there would have been a decision this soon," he said in an interview from Florida. "It gives us some confidence because it shows that, once and for all, NWMO has a process and they're going to follow that process." "I guess my first reaction to that is that I'm pleased that they've recognized and discovered that now, rather than us forming committees and working away at this thing and upsetting people," said Arran-Elderslie Mayor Paul Eagleson. "I'm relieved or pleased that way because were we facing to stay in to be a host, there was a lot of work to be done . . . (I'm) Pleased we found out now and will be supportive of the other three Bruce County communities for sure, because, at the end of the day, it will be a regional initiative. So we will work with them any way we can because it's definitely going to be a regional development." Charbonneau said the decision shows some accusations thrown around the past 18 months are unfounded. "NWMO has a job to do and they are taking it seriously," he said. What has always been important to the town of Saugeen Shores, he added, is that used nucular waste is stored safely for the long term, Charbonneau added. "I'm confident that the position of council for Saugeen Shores will be to push for that and be supportive of any endeavour to ensure that's the case and I hope that the people of Saugeen Shores support that!' Cheryl Grace, spokesperson for Save Our Saugeen Shores, a group opposed to the NWMO process, welcomed the NWMO announcement. "We are enormously pleased and relieved that investigating this highly inappropriate siting of the DGR in Sau- geen Shores will not go ahead," she said. "We hope to see the same decision on DGR 1 (low and intermediate level waste) in Kincardine and, in fact, hope to see the day when there are no further plans to bury nuclear waste in the Great Lakes basin. "Our work is not done. Huron -Kin- loss, South Bruce and Brockton are too close to population centres, agricultural and recreational economies and espe- cially Lake Huron to be a prudent choice for the burial of radioactive waste," she said. "OPG's proposed DGR (for low- and intermediate -level nuclear waste) for Kincardine remains a significant threat to millions who depend on the Great Lakes for life and livelihood." The NWMO said it would work with Saugeen Shores and Arran-Elderslie to assist in their transition out of the process. If any of the Bruce County communi- ties still in the DGR siting process — Huron -Kinloss, South Bruce and Brock- ton — move forward to the next phase of assessment, Arran-Elderslie and Sau- geen Shores will be part of the dialogue involving aboriginal and other commu- nities in the area. It will take several more years of detailed technical, scientific and social study before a preferred safe site for the used nuclear fuel repository can be confirmed, the NWMO says. TH C01115 We BUY Entire Collections of Coins, Bills & Tokens. 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