Highlights
- The average price of milk in Canada is lower than that of milk in both Australia and New Zealand.
- Many countries without supply management, such as the US, subsidize their dairy industry, meaning that the real price of their milk is paid at the store and also through taxes.
It is completely false to suggest that the retail price of milk is always higher in Canada because of supply management. The retail price for milk in Canada is in line with most other countries – in fact, contrary to what the article claims, the average price of milk is currently higher in both Australia, and New Zealand than it is here!
Most countries without supply management, including the US, heavily subsidize their dairy industries to help cover the costs of doing business. This can sometimes result in slightly lower prices at the retail level – but it also means that anyone who buys milk is paying for it twice: once at the store, and again through their taxes.
Like business owners in any industry, some dairy farmers do quite well. However, since 2006, we have seen a 25% decrease in the number of Canadian dairy farms. Farming is not an easy living, with or without supply management.
Like other farmers across the country, dairy farmers work extremely hard to provide Canadians with a safe, stable, nutritious, and sustainably produced source of food. We do it because we love it. Supply management is simply a market-based tool that helps us continue to do what we love.
My office is my barn. I would be happy to invite members of the Globe and Mail editorial board to my office for a tour so that before they write their next article, they can see for themselves and hear firsthand why supply management is an essential tool for Canadian dairy farmers.