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The Rural Voice, 2006-04, Page 50News in Agriculture Dairy farmers fear market loss from trade decisions Loopholes created by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) continue to undercut Canada's supply management system for dairy products and hurt the incomes of Ontario's dairy farmers. David Murray, Dairy Farmers of Ontario board member for Huron told farm leaders and MP Paul teckle and MPP Carol Mitchell, March 4, that the CITT decision that butter -oil - sugar blends should be exempt from import controls had destroyed the ice cream market for dairy farmers. Up to 50 per cent of the ice cream is now made with these blends instead of real milk, he said. The quality of this ice cream is so bad consumption is declining, he claimed. Meanwhile the federal court has just upheld a CITT ruling that milk protein isolate, containing 85 per cent milk protein, should be classified as a "protein substance" rather than "natural milk constituents" which means it can enter Canada without any restriction or any tariff. Dairy Farmers of Canada estimates the use of this substitute in cheese may cost dairy farmers $500 million a year. In another detrimental move by the federal government, Health Canada is proposing under its new food guide recommendations to include soymilk and other plant -based beverages in the dairy products category, claiming they are of equal value as milk and of superior value to other milk products. As well, Murray said, the new food guide proposals downplay the nutritional value of other dairy products by recommending people drink "lower fat milk or fortified plant -based beverages most of the time" despite the lack of scientific support for these arguments. The result of these recommendations will mean lowered dairy intake, Murray said. Steckle said these mixing of definitions was exactly why the Common Standing Committee on Agriculture, which he chaired until the defeat of the Liberal government, had proposed definitions of what a 46 THE RURAL VOICE dairy product was. "Don't call it soy said Verheul was grilled at the recent milk, call it soy beverage," he said. Canadian Federation of Agriculture Likewise, a company shouldn't be meeting as to whether he had a new able to advertise "hot buttery mandate since the election of the popcorn" unless there is butter in it. Conservative government of Stephen The manufacturers had come out Harper. hitting after the committee proposed Verheul has represented the the amendments to protect the "balanced position" that Canadian integrity of dairy terms, Steckle said. agriculture, including the CFA, has He now worries whether the new held for the past five years, Mistele government will bring the legislation said. (The balanced position calls for forward again. maintaining supply management Murray also expressed concern by while seeking greater access for a presentation by Steve Verheul, Canadian market products in other Canada's chief agricultural trade _ fields.) CFA delegates wanted to negotiator to a recent dairy producers know if he would resign if that meeting that said Canada was alone position changed. in its defense of supply management. Steckle said the supply -managed "The WTO (World Trade sectors seemed pleased with the Organization) seems to feel farmers results of the WTO negotiations in should get their income from Hong Kong in December but he's government, not the marketplace," worried under the new government, Murray said. even though the new agricultural The last two rounds of trade minister Chuck Strahl pledges his negotiations Canadian farmers have support for supply management. given up a larger share of their "There is verbal support but I'm market to foreign imports but other not sure how supportive they are on countries aren't allowing access to the ground level," he said. their markets, he said. "Other He notes that both the Canadian countries will not increase their Wheat Board and supply (market) access, but they say we have management were included in to," Murray said. "Negotiations mean Canada's balanced position in WTO give and take, but Canada has only negotiations but David Andersdh, the given." parliamentary assistant to Strahl, has Paul Mistele, vice-president of the been a vehement opponent of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, wheat board.0 Is government changing on terminator gene? Has Canada's position on banning research on the "terminator gene" changed? It's a question farmers are asking. Speaking to the March 4 Members of Parliament meeting held by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, Robert Emerson, visiting president of the Bruce Federation explained that in 2000 there had been such an outcry against the genetically -engineered tech- nology that would prevent farmers from keeping their own seed for replanting, that the United Nations called for a ban on further research. But the U.S. government never supported the ban and one company continued to do research, Emerson said. Then at a meeting in Italy a month ago, Canada, New Zealand and Australia called for reopening of the ban against terminator gene research. Paul Steckle, MPP for Huron - Bruce, promised to raise the issue when the Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture reconvenes. Paul Mistele, vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture said the Canadian Federation of Agriculture had recently passed a resolution calling for an investigation into the effect of terminator gene technology for Canadian farmers.