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4; a
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2006. PAGE A21
Agriculture 2006
Loopholes undercut dairy's supply management
By Keith Roulson
Citizen publisher
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 Huron
County's dairy farmers.
David Murray, Dairy Farmers of
Ontario board member for Huron told
farm leaders and MP Paul Steckle 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 dairy
product was. "Don't call it soy milk,
call it soy beverage," he said.
Likewise, a company shouldn't be able
to advertise "hot buttery popcorn"
Unless there is butter in it.
The manufacturers had come out
hitting after the committee proposed
the amendments to protect the
integrity of dairy terms, Steckle said.
He now worries whether the new
government will bring the legislation
forward again.
Murray also expressed concern by a
presentation "by Steve Verheul,
Canada's chief agricultural trade
negotiator to a recent dairy producers
meeting that said Canada was alone in
its defense of supply management.
"The WTO (World Trade
Organization) seems to feel farmers
should get their income from
government, not the marketplace,"
Murray said.
The- last two rounds of trade
negotiations Canadian farmers have
given up a larger share of their market
to foreign imports but other countries
aren't allowing access to their markets,
he said. "Other countries will not
increase their (market) access, but they
say we have to," Murray said.
"Negotiations mean give and take, but
Canada has only given."
Paul Mistele, vice-president of the
Ontario Federation of Agriculture, said
Verheul was grilled at the recent
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
meeting as to whether he had a new
mandate since the election of the
Conservative government of Stephen
Harper.
Verheul has represented the
"balanced position" that Canadian
agriculture, including the CFA, has
held for the past five years, Mistele
said. (The balanced position calls for
maintaining supply management while
seeking greater access for Canadian
market products in other fields.) CFA
delegates wanted to know if-'he would
resign if that position changed.
Steckle said the supply-managed
sectors seemed pleased with the results
of the WTO negotiations in Hong
Kong in December but he's worried
under the new government, even
though the new agricultural minister
Chuck Strahl pledges his support for
supply management.
"There is verbal support but I'm not
sure how supportive they are on the
ground level," he said.
He notes that both the Canadian
Wheat Board and supply management
were included in Canada's balanced
position in WTO negotiations but
David Anderson, the parliamentary
assistant to Strahl, has been a
vehement opponent of the wheat
board.
BSE still stings says producers
By Keith Roulson
Citizen publisher
The heavy losses from the BSE
crisis will never be made up, says the
Huron County Beef Producers'
Association.
"In 2003 beef producers lost $480
a head," said a brief presented to
the annual Members of Parlia-
ment meeting of the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture, March
4. "In the middle of 2005 they
were making $150 a head.
The damage is done so therefore
this money will never be made
up."
What's more, the continued closure
Continued from A20
impact.
"We are doing a project with
OMAFRA to verify their new
nitrogen rate calculator. This takes
into account the soil test, the price of
the nitrogen, the price of the corn
and gives a cost-effect price for
nitrogen. You may be losing a few
cents on your corn but could end up
with more in your pocket."
As with other OSCIA presidents,
Black's move up through the
executive ranks has prepared him
for the top position. He plans few
changeS from his predecessor's
leadership, but again will be loOking
of the border to breeding stock and
animals over 30 months of age
continues to affect the industry, said
the brief written by Glen Walker and
Deb and Les Falconer.
"We need breeding stock to go over
the border as soon as possible. We
have the best genetics in the world for
beef and dairy."
The dairy producers also dealt with
the cost of the border closure to
breeding stock in their presentation to
Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle and
MPP Carol Mitchell.
"Before BSE, exports of
replacement heifers and cull cows
brought in about $550 million a year
to Canada's 17,000 dairy farmers, but
to the future.
Black said he'd also like to strike
up more partnerships and research
projects.
Black feels the emphasis on new
methods has at times created an
imbalance. "In Huron, when I
started it was just when no-till was
coming on stream. Thereikas a lot of
emphasis placed on that and in
some ways a lot of interest in
conventional till, or in some cases
the livestock producers, was lost. I
would like to see a balance in
what's offered."
Inspiring the next generation is
another important issue. With
this has almost dried up," said David
Murray, Huron's representative on the
Dairy Farmers of Ontario.
A very personal example of the toll
from the border closure was told by
Steven Webster of Blyth. "I lost $1
million after the BSE crisis," said
Webster who used to ship dairy heifers
to the U.S. "Because of the border
closure we're basically out of
business."
Mitchell sympathized with
farmers still hurt by the crisis.
"There is a sense that the
issue is over," she said.
"We have to keep the information
coming to let people know it isn't
over."
OSCIA working with 4-H and
Junior Farmers the hope is that
bringing youth into the organization
will let, them know now was OSCIA
is all about.
Anyone interested in learning
more about OSCIA and its many
programs and 'initiatives can check
out the web site at
www.ontariosoilcrop.org or e-mail
osci a @ ontariosoi Icop.org
Did you know...
Canada has a rich land base with 168
million acres of farmland: 2/3
suitable for growing crops and 1/3
suitable only for grazing livestock.
Black hopes to strike balance