Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

More Urban Media Myths

Here's a story that is against supply-management in an effort to get a trade deal with Europe.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/eu-trade-talks-stuck-on-b...

Whether you are for or against SM - you've got to admit some of these facts are a little off. Here's the most obvious to me...

"European farmers generally not receive subsidies for the production of food, and provincial supply-management programs, which mainly apply only to dairy, would be seen as an unfair competitive advantage."

While they may not get subsidies directly tied to the production of food - they are still get well paid by the governments just to be on rural land. Plus - as far as I know SM isn't mainly with dairy - but also poultry and eggs. If the Globe is going to weigh into this debate - I just wish they'd get it right.

Views: 86

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on October 19, 2009 at 6:55am
After reading the comments it all comes down to this: the urban media wants to treat farmers as second class citizens. They want food for nothing since it is their given right to have access to cheap food.
Comment: "For many years the Milk and Dairy group have kept the Prices up and treated Canadian Consumers unfairly!"
It is shameful that the media can state fiction as fact and we can not turn around and sue them in court as slander. The Ontario dairy producer is not given his cost of production when reporting the price of milk. It is my understanding the price that the dairy farmer in Ontario receives covers the cost of production for only 50% of the dairy producers. So another 50% are producing milk at less than cost and once again the consumer is using, yes "using", the farmer as a slave to society.
When an auto worker in Ontario is making $35 per hour and increasing production under a non-unionized environment (Toyota) producing a product that is non-essential, why does media continue to slander farmers who produce an essential product?
Then again - if you are reading this you already feel the pain.
Permalink Reply by Wayne Black on October 19, 2009 at 7:08am
posted at globe and mail under the article Andrew offered the link to:

Please explain to me why farmers continue to be rated as second class citizens who are not paid for their time and work completed to provide a basic necessity for society to exist?
Also - Dairy is just one component of the Supply Managed (SM) commodities in Canada. Poultry and eggs are also under SM.
As for dairy farmers getting paid for their cost of production - false. The price paid to the dairy farmer in Ontario is a price to cover only 50% of the dairy farms cost of production. So that means that the other 50% are producing their milk at a loss.
So when the farmers (beef, pork, grain, fruits & vegetable and 50% of the dairy farmers) are producing their product at a loss, in a society where a non-unionized auto worker (Toyota) is making $35 per hour, someone explain to me why we even have food produced in this country?
On Sept. 16th in Belguim, a group of dairy farmers dumped between 3 and 4 million litres of milk protesting the lack of returns for their milk. France, Germany, Britain - all the same including the US dairy farmer.
So please - urban media included - explain to me as a young beginning farmer why I should even tempt to go into this industry when the four food groups that the Canada Food Guide recommends are losing money - ie. not paid for their labour.
This article does nothing but fuel the fire for people who want farmers to toil the land and not get paid.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Replenish Nutrients Announces Steven Glover as Special Advisor to the Board and Director Nominee

Replenish Nutrients Holding Corp. (CSE: ERTH) (OTC: VVIVF) ("Replenish" or the "Company"), a leader in regenerative agriculture solutions, is pleased to announce that Steven Glover, FCPA, FCA, will join the Company as a Special Advisor to the Board of Directors, effective April 7, 2026. Mr. Glover will be nominated for election to the Company's Board of Directors at its upcoming Annual General Meeting on June 19, 2026. Mr. Glover is an independent director nominee. Upon election, it is anticipated that he will serve as the Company's audit committee chair. Mr. Glover brings nearly five decades of experience in accounting, financial oversight, and public-company governance, with a career spanning senior executive roles, regulatory and professional leadership, and extensive board and audit committee service. Mr. Glover currently serves as Lead Director and Audit Committee Chair of Genesis Land Development Corp. (TSX: GDC), where he provides oversight of financial reporting, enterprise r

Government of Canada invests in low-carbon agrichemicals to advance sustainability in agriculture

Canada's agricultural sector is at the forefront of building a greener future and ensuring Canadians have access to sustainable, homegrown solutions. Supporting leading-edge technology is critical to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fortifying Canada's food systems for generations to come. Today, Wade Chang, Member of Parliament for Burnaby Central, on behalf of the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of up to $1,236,310 for Anodyne Chemistries Inc. through the AgriScience Program - Projects Component, under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This investment will support Anodyne Chemistries in developing and demonstrating an innovative bio-electric process that converts carbon dioxide and water into high-quality, low-carbon formic acid and hydrogen peroxide, resulting in significant GHG reductions and reduced reliance on petrochemical feedstocks for Canada's agricultural sector. Formic acid and hydrogen

Canada's two major railways see slight improvement in grain deliveries in week 34: Ag Transport Coalition

The Ag Transport Coalition reports week 34 saw system performance improve notably, with CN and CPKC Rail combined, supplying 80% of hopper cars ordered. That's an improvement from the 65% performance seen in week 33, and the best performance seen since week 25 in mid-January. System performance remains below the 90% performance threshold for a tenth consecutive week, but returns to the 80% threshold for the first time in nine weeks. In supplying 85% of cars ordered by shippers in week 34, CN saw performance improve from the 79% order fulfillment performance seen in week 33. This marks the best performance seen from CN in the last five weeks, but CN performance remains below the 90% threshold for a tenth straight week. Meanwhile, in supplying 75% of shipper orders, CPKC saw performance improve dramatically from the 52% order fulfillment performance seen in week 33, with the railway posting their best performance in eight weeks. CPKC performance remains below the 90% performance th

Crop input retailer happy United Farmers of Alberta bought AgraCity

A competitor is pleased with United Farmers of Alberta’s purchase of the AgraCity Group of companies. Farmers Business Network thinks the deal is good news for farmers. “The work that AgraCity did to build their portfolio of products and labels will still be available to farmers going forward,” said Breen Neeser, FBN’s general manager for Canada.“They have some really good products.” He is happy that the AgraCity assets are staying in the hands of an established western Canadian company that has been in the agriculture business for a long time. “They know farming,” he said. “They’re partners with farmers.” Neeser believes UFA was keen on expanding their footprint in Saskatchewan. “I think that was part of the play,” he said. He is pleased that the assets did not end up in the hands of a foreign entity. “UFA is part of the fabric of western Canadian farming, especially Alberta and in some ways Saskatchewan now,” he said. “I’m glad it’s in the hands of somebody who sees the bus

Greenbelt Seen as Key to Ontario Food Security and Agri-Food Growth

Ontario’s Greenbelt should be treated as a strategic pillar of food security and economic growth, according to a new report released by the Greenbelt Foundation.  

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service