Give Canadian farms the opportunity to thrive

When Conservative leadership candidate Max Bernier says he is going to make dairy, eggs, turkey and chicken half the price, it seems like a good idea. He says all these products are twice the market value of what they should be.

But statistics show milk in Canada costs approximately $1.48 per litre and $1.65 per litre in the United States. The situation is similar for chicken, eggs and turkey. Factor in differences such as the exchange rate, cost of hydro, U.S. federal government subsidies, and greater use of foreign labour by U.S. farms, and the 17-cent difference seems negligible.

In Canada, farmers receive a fair price that is based on the cost of production and the consumer receives healthy, affordable, and predictably costing foods.

In the U.S., without a fair farm pricing system, grocery stores can use milk and eggs as loss leaders to get people to their stores and transfer that loss to the farmer. In Canada, grocery stores can make the same choice, but the farmer is still paid fairly.

If we follow Max’s plan, milk will trade like oil on an open market. The problem is cows and chickens are not oil wells with taps. When prices go low, farmers cannot simply stop milking and caring for their animals.

We know Canadian consumers want Canadian milk from local farms. And the same goes for chicken, eggs and turkey. Supply management and fair farm pricing ensures Canadian farms will continue to thrive and support our economy with billions in dollars of annual GDP.

Bruce Sargent Kitchener