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: 74

▶ 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

Rural councillors reject rezoning land for controversial battery energy storage system

Ottawa’s Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee has rejected rezoning a property near Dunrobin as a site for a massive battery to store electricity. Three of the five rural councillors on the committee voted against rezoning land on Marchurst Road from rural countryside to rural general industrial to allow for construction of the controversial battery energy storage system, or BESS. A BESS is a giant collective battery — in this case, a lithium-ion battery — used to store electricity and distribute it as needed. Under the proposal from Brookfield Renewables, the 15-acre site on Marchurst Road would be home to a substation, 256 battery containers with noise walls and a stormwater management system to capture runoff. Residents have concerns, including noise, potential fires and contaminated well water. They also say details are sparse about decommissioning the $650-million facility once it has outlived its 25-year life expectancy. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO),

FCC report highlights productivity as key to Canada's agricultural future

Canadian farmers could see significant income gains and new opportunities if agricultural productivity growth returns to historic highs. The Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report titled Reigniting agricultural productivity in Canada, estimates that boosting productivity growth to two per cent annually could unlock $30 billion in additional farm income, generate $31 billion in GDP, and create nearly 23,000 jobs across the country. Canada has long been a standout among global food producers. Over the past half-century, the agriculture industry has achieved significant productivity growth through better farm management, improved input efficiency and technological innovation. The report warns, however, that productivity growth has slowed in recent years, threatening the industry's competitiveness and Canada's ability to meet growing national and global food demand. "Canada's agricultural productivity growth has consistently outpaced other G7 countries for more than three decades, showing the s

Ontario’s manufacturing jobs fall to lower rate since 1976: budget watchdog

The Ford government's push to make Ontario a "manufacturing powerhouse" appears to be faltering, according to the latest data from the province's budget watchdog, which found manufacturing activity is at its "lowest level since 2015." The Financial Accountability Officer's (FAO) latest economic review found that manufacturing - which represents about 10 per cent of the province's economy - has faced a number of challenges, including pandemic-related shutdowns, supply-chain disruptions, shipping issues, auto plant retooling, slowing demand, and, most recently U.S. tariffs on Ontario’s exports. The result, the watchdog found, was a decline in manufacturing output in seven of the past eight quarters between mid-2023 to mid-2025, leading to 20,600 fewer jobs, representing a declining share of the province's economy. "Manufacturing jobs as a share of Ontario’s total employment recently fell below 10% for the first time since record keeping began in 1976," the FAO said. The report offers

Briefs: $110K hospice gift; Vet student scholarship; Pork conference

The contribution, one the last from the foundation, was made recently in memory of longtime Beattie Foundation president Jack Morrison, who died Oct. 26, the hospice foundation said in a release. The family has opted to donate remaining Beattie Foundation funds to local initiatives close to their hearts, with donations also going to the Chatham-Kent Children’s Treatment Centre and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance foundations, the release said. “Jack was determined to ensure that all arrangements and donations were taken care of before his passing,” his daughter-in law, Jill Morrison, said. “He was deeply passionate about the James A. Beattie Foundation, and I know he would be smiling, likely with tears in his eyes.” The Beattie Foundation, which has contributed $240,000 to the hospice over the years, “has long exemplified the power of quiet generosity, making a significant and meaningful difference throughout Chatham-Kent,” hospice foundation executive director Brock McGregor said. Eri

Eastern Ontario Reopens A Strategic Agricultural Gateway After 30 Years

Eastern Ontario has reopened one of Canada's most strategic agricultural gateways with the arrival of the Federal Montreal, the first bulk vessel fertilizer cargo to dock in the region in almost three decades. Its discharge – coordinated through a logistics partnership led by V6 Agronomy alongside the Port of Johnstown – reactivates a long-dormant section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and establishes a modern Prairie-Seaway trade corridor connecting Western Canadian producers to Eastern and international markets. This renewed corridor links inbound fertilizers with outbound grain, pulses, and agri-products through an integrated marine-rail pathway. The result is a Canadian-controlled logistics chain that improves rail asset utilization, strengthens national food security, and reduces reliance on foreign infrastructure for critical agricultural inputs and exports. "This moment marks the renewal of a corridor that has been dormant for nearly three decades," said Ryan Brophy, CEO of V6 Agr

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service