ABP resolution Re supply management

[grassfarmer]

“Be it resolved that ABP and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, working with the appropriate partners, actively lobby both the provincial and federal governments to develop and implement a plan to remove the trade barriers experienced by the beef industry, and the majority of agriculture as a result of Canada’s Supply Management policy.”
Zone 1, 3

Carried

[kato]

Once again, Alberta puts it to the rest of the country.

Sorry guys, but it's true.

[grassfarmer]

Not Alberta Kato, the ABP - not everyone in Alberta thinks like the ABP.

[kato]

That's good to hear.

I just don't see the logic of this. I would think that having to deal with the all to frequent dairy cow culls like those that take place in the U.S. would do so much more damage to us than any theoretical good that would be done by opening markets that are supposedly closed to us because of supply management.

These are currently theoretical markets. It hasn't been proven that they would open. IMHO supply management is just used as an excuse which will be replaced by another excuse if we throw it out.

Every time the American dairy industry crashes, and it happens all too often, they dump several million cull cows onto the hamburger market. That hurts every beef producer who has a cull cow to sell.

It even hurts us. Why we would want to set it up so the same culls happen here defies logic.

[smcgrath76]

A large part of the value in the quota
system is stationed in PQ. I suspect
after tossing the bone to the West of
eliminating the long gun registry, that
they will be a bit loath to tackle the
PQ farm rally.
I am not convinced that the supply
management issue really affects our
ability to market beef a whole bunch.
Are there a lot of folks out there
itching to send beef to a country that
won't accept it at the moment because of
supply management?
I think over time, it will go the way of
the CWB, but not in this election cycle.

[grassfarmer]

Supply management is always portrayed as a mainly Quebec/Ontario thing but how true is that? I've read that Hutterite colonies supply 33% of Alberta's milk and 10% of Canadas. That seems a lot yet in the dairy areas close to me - Rimbey, Ponoka, Lacombe the Hutterite dairies must be outnumbered at least 10 to 1 by non-Hutterites primarily of Dutch and Swiss origin. I bet the average dairy size in western Canada is way larger too.

Sean "Are there a lot of folks out there itching to send beef to a country that won't accept it at the moment because of supply management?"
No - because no-one can name a country that has indicated they would start buying, or buy more, Canadian beef if it wasn't for SM.
Another case where the hollow ideology of "free markets" has been repeated for so long people believe it.
There is no good reason to throw the supply management sectors advantages away - Canadian dairy farmers are the envy of the world. Maybe people should think about why before campaigning against them.

[kato]

We've got much bigger things to campaign against without doing it against fellow cattle producers.

[Happytrails]

I guess this is back to my favorite definition of a "liberal" as one who is so broad minded that they won't take their own side in an argument.

Canada's position at WTO negotiations is compromised by our "no trade" supply managed sectors. ABP's mandate is to advocate for the beef industry. Ergo they are opposed to supply management because it negatively affects our trade opportunities. Very logical and consistent. What isn't logical and consistent is beef producers siding with supply management. The benefits of same accrue only to producers in the affected sectors. HT

[burnt]

happytrails, it probably hasn't occurred to you yet that those who have a little broader vision and mind can be as conservative a thinker as they come.

In fact, those who are hampered by myopia or tunnel vision seldom have the ability of seeing things as they are.

Therefore, I'm thinking that you benefit from being told that you just very likely P.O.'d a very solid conservative thinker with your blindly-thrown charge of "liberal" in this case.

It could be that you didn't read some of the very accurate posts on this thread and are simply doing the usual knee-jerk reaction to the trigger-phrase "supply management" in the title.

You come across whining like the city folks who see titles like this and immediately think only of how this must be hurting them somehow.

But go ahead, ignore all the facts and spout off some juvenile gibberish about your imaginary losses being the result of someone else is doing better than you are.

It is called jealousy, I believe.

[rkaiser]

Don"t really think that supply management is in the minds of many of the 7 plus million in the little city I am hangin out in today. Most would just love to have a little chuink of some truly Canadian beef, me thinks.

Just flew in to Fujou from Shanghai last night and boy are my arms tied ---- badaboom.

Actually well rested after a couple of local beers and some street meat before a solid sleep on a solid bed last night.

First meeting set for 2 this afternoon with some of the folks that make things happen over here.

Gotta love this Internet thing.

I will check in with ya'all later...

[burnt]

Well Randall, it sure didn't take long for you to develop an accent . . .

[grassfarmer]

As long as ABP is collecting levy off every dairy calf, replacement heifer or cull cow produced in that sector I would think they have a duty to represent dairy producers rather than stab them in the back.
"No taxation without representation" and all that.

[gaucho]

Supply management and access for EU dairy products into Canada is a big part of the CETA negotiations. Is Supply Management a hindrance? - you bet 100% it is. The future of our plant in Lacombe is highly dependent upon being able to kill and process cattle for the EU market... so to is our brand. If we were dependent upon a domestic bee market I doubt we woudl be here very long. I am sick an tried of supply management guys talking about the future of their mega sized family farms... did you know that all the turkeys supplied and killed for the Ontario market come from 5 "family farms" What about negotiations with hte Asia Pacific PAC.. Sorry Kato and Grass Farmer but I don't know why you guys are so defensive for the spoiled brats!

[grassfarmer]

The problem with CETA is it's another very poor deal from Canada's point of view. Potentially give up a lot but gain nothing. It has been made clear that there will be no change in the EUs stance on hormone treated beef so no change there for the bulk of the exporting industry here. Same on the crop side - the EU will not drop their regulations banning import of GM crops. Is your branded hormone free beef under threat of being shut out of the EU because of the supply management sector? Is that spelled out in CETA?
As for the Asia Pacific club that's just New Zealand throwing their weight about on the dairy issue as they like to do. Tell them we'll drop supply managed dairy in return for NZ winters!

[gaucho]

Grassframer some times its nice being able to sell beef into markets where the big boys can't / don't want to go... ie no hormones to Europe... especially when you have higher cost in small packing plants and you want to differentiate your product so that you can recuperate your costs. If you last checked there are only 2 packers bidding on cattle in western Canada... is there something wrong with having market opportunities for others to grow their business... somehow it is fine to have supply management hinder trade deals? No one saying eliminate it but certainly its time it starts getting eased back.