Friday, October 18, 2013

Dairy farmers to get trade-deal compensation


Dairy farmers will get some compensation from the federal government to offset the impact of increased European cheese imports, according to Eric Hoskins, Ontario’s Economic Development Minister.

The federal government needed provincial approvals before it could agree to the final deal and Hoskins told the Globe and Mail that compensation for the dairy, wine and pharmaceutical industries is part of the package.

The free-trade deal with the European Union will increase the tariff-free quota for cheeses, and Canadian cheese makers say they expect the Europeans will focus on high-end specialty cheeses.

The deal roughly doubles the tariff-free quota to about 30,000 tonnes, which is still less than 10 per cent of the Canadian cheese market. If the imports continue to target specialty cheeses, it could take 50 per cent of the sales of Canadian-made cheeses in that category, say some of the cheese makers who expect to be facing stiff competition.

On the plus side for agriculture is the potential to add $600 million to beef exports and $400 million to pork exports.

Beef farmers will have to forego growth-promoting implants to get into the European beef market, but say the premium prices make it worth that added expense.

Politicians from every major party have pledged solid support for supply management, so it’s little surprise that the federal government has agreed to offer dairy farmers some compensation.

That could be an important precedent related to ongoing multi-nation free trade negotiations – the stalled round for World Trade Organization negotiations and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations.

Those negotiations might also involve increased competition for Canada’s poultry farmers.