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LETTER: Agreeing to U.S. demands on dairy supply a bad deal

Canada’s dairy supply management is a benefit to consumers and producers, in a letter
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Dear Editor,

Our family has been dairy farming in the Lacombe area for 70 years. I continue to farm here with my wife and son. I’d like to comment on the debate on supply management as it’s important in our agricultural community.

Supply management is how we keep our milk local and support local businesses. That milk will not be cheaper if we don’t have supply management. In fact, according to A.C. Neilson, milk is cheaper in Canada than the USA.

Under NAFTA, Americans want access to our market because they have a serious milk over-supply problem. However, the state of Wisconsin produces more milk than all of Canada, so it wouldn’t take long before they would just fill up Canada too.

I have quota to produce milk, so this over supply and waste doesn’t happen in Canada. Our industry is self-sufficient and we don’t get a dime in subsidies from the government (unlike every single other dairy market in the world).

Canada also has higher quality standards for milk compared to American milk. Why would we want a lesser quality product?

I support agriculture commodities that rely on exporting. It’s possible to defend the interests of all different types of farmers that exist in our community.

Supply management is a solution that works for Canada and our community will be negatively affected if we get bullied into a bad NAFTA deal.

Albert Kamps, Lacombe