Chobani, the giant in the fast-expanding Greek yogourt
market, is pulling out of Canada at least
temporarily.
Dairyreporter.com reports that the company answered a
Twitter query confirming that it will be pulling out. It’s plans after that
remain uncertain.
The report comes days after Graham Lloyd, lawyer, and Peter
Gould, general manager, of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario led farmers to believe
Chobani would be going ahead with plans to build a huge plant at Kingston, Ont.
They also led farmers to believe that the federal government
will renew special import permits for Chobani to market Greek yogourt in Canada
processed at its plant in upper New York State.
It appears they were wrong and the permits will not be
renewed when the existing ones expire at the end of the month.
Quebec dairy farmers have lobbied strongly against the
special import permits and Chobani’s plans for Kingston, apparently because they
want any growth in the Canadian dairy market for themselves.
The Quebec dairy lobby has long been considered one of the
strongest in Canadian politics.
Tell me again how brilliant Canadian politicians have been to grant dairy and poultry farmers a monopoly on their markets.
