Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) and the Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC) have called on the government to defend the country’s food sovereignty during trade negotiations with the United States, Dairy Reporter reports.
Both organisations expressed disappointment that dairy has been drawn into a broader trade dispute — particularly given that Canada continues to uphold the commitments it agreed to with the US under CUSMA (the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement, which took effect 1 July 2020).
They said Canada has already made several concessions in CUSMA review discussions, only to be met each time with fresh demands from the US side.
“Canadians are understandably worried about the impact of US trade disruptions and the impact it could have on their lives. It is also clear that Canadians believe in the importance of having control over our food supply and ensuring that Canada’s strong domestic dairy sector is not compromised,” said David Wiens, president of DFC.
“Our national food sovereignty is not up for negotiation,” he added.
Wiens said the organisations were concerned about being pressed for additional concessions that would grant the US “significant market access.”
Mathieu Frigon, president and CEO of DPAC, highlighted that the current trade relationship already favours the US: American dairy exports to Canada exceed Canadian dairy exports to the US by more than $600 million annually.
“Canada’s dairy processing sector is a major employer in communities across Canada, and our dairy industry depends on predictable, rules-based trade with our largest trading partner,” Frigon said.
According to Nanos research, more than 9 in 10 Canadians believe it is important to ensure Canada has as much control as possible over its food supply, and thousands of Canadians have written to the government in defence of dairy farmers and Canada’s food sovereignty.
Source: Dairy Reporter
