Stories from our other publications
The improvements are the result of the ready adoption of new practices by the sector, according to a recent study
Canadian dairy farmers are getting smaller when it comes to their impact on the environment, says a study done for Dairy Farmers of Canada by Groupe AGECO. The Canadian dairy sector has achieved one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world and every litre of milk it produces creates one-third of the greenhouse gas […] Read more
Supply management is the hill we must die on – Alistair Johnston Canadian Dairy Commission
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba chair David Wiens minced no words in his address to the organization’s annual general meeting earlier this month. “This has been one of the most dramatic years,” he told the assembled delegates. He was of course mainly referencing the recently negotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and how it has affected the […] Read more
The immediate crisis is past but the long-term trends are worrying
Manitoba dairy producers who sat down with the Co-operator at the recent Manitoba Dairy Conference don’t look like bargaining chips — but lately that’s exactly what they’ve become. In successive rounds of trade deals they’ve repeatedly lost market share to imports from other jurisdictions, most recently in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). While they weren’t […] Read more
Plan should be in place before USMCA receives final approval, say opposition senators and MPs
The federal government is still facing political pressure to deliver on compensation plans for dairy and poultry producers. And those calling for action say it needs to happen in advance of signing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Before starting Parliament’s week-long Thanksgiving break, MPs from all parties backed a motion calling for a financial compensation […] Read more
Trade deals are starting to add up when it comes to the impact on dairy farms
Manitoba dairy farmers attending annual meetings this month are trying to understand the coming changes as a result of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). There are some serious questions being asked about what the new deal means for the family farm and their future, said David Wiens, a Manitoba dairy farmer and vice-president of […] Read more
Canadians are clearly signalling they value dairy farms
Dairy farmers reeling from the uncertainty descending on their farms in light of the new trade deal can take heart in one thing, says Manitoba dairy farmer and Dairy Farmers of Canada vice-president David Wiens. “There’s one thing the government can’t take away from us with this trade deal, and it is the relationship we […] Read more
It could take more than money to settle the ruffled feathers of supply management groups, who say they were pawns in the negotiations
Within hours of announcing a new free trade deal with the United States and Mexico, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland were promising compensation for dairy and poultry farmers. While Trudeau and Freeland talked as if the compensation discussions had already started, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has just begun to arrange […] Read more
On Canadian dairy farms, fear and frustration as U.S. demands trade concessions
Reuters – Marie-Pier Vincent, a fourth-generation Quebec dairy farmer, worries it will be even harder to make ends meet as Canada allows more tariff-free imports of milk products from the United States under a reworked North American Free Trade Agreement. Vincent, 28, is already looking for a second job to pay back the money she […] Read more
Canadian dairy farmers say Canada’s trade deals are progressively placing more pressures on their industry
Canadian dairy producers say they’ve been thrown under the bus in order for Canada to be part of the new United States, Mexico and Canada Agreement (USMCA) on trade. Piere Lampron, president of the Dairy Farmers of Canada, says it’s an especially bitter pill to swallow considering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had repeatedly assured the […] Read more
The sector agrees better guidelines and improved transport conditions are worthy goals
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) wants to see a better way of handling compromised cull dairy cows. It’s calling for greater co-operation amongst producers, their vets, as well as transporters, processors and cattle marketers. In a resolution adopted at its annual summer meeting, the CVMA says cull dairy cows “have an increased likelihood of […] Read more
