U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Canada’s dairy supply management system continue to generate controversy.
And dairy farmers, even some located within the Peace Country, are also now starting to weigh in.
Richard Lavoie, the CEO of Enterprises Lavoie in St. Isidore. (Photo/Peace Country Sun)
Richard Lavoie is currently the CEO of Enterprises Lavoie Incorporated, a dairy farm operation that’s operated in the St. Isidore area since 1999. The family’s been farming in the area since arriving from Lac Saint Jean, Quebec in 1953.
Lavoie says Canada’s current supply management system is the best in the world.
“We manage all of our productions ourselves, and that’s the way it should be,” said Lavoie. “Other countries have let go of their supply management system, and now everyone there is suffering because of that.”
He says the consumer in those countries see no benefits in taking their respective supply management systems out of circulation.
“It’s a wonderful system, and you get a good quality product out of it too,” Lavoie added. “I think (President) Trump is just saying all that for political reasons.”
Canada’s supply management system was first implemented in the 1970s. It’s designed to protect Canadian farmers by setting high, stable prices for the nation’s dairy products. It also limits the amount of milk that’s allowed to be produced, and it imposes high tariffs on dairy products coming into Canada.
On Tuesday, April 18, Trump said that Canada had been “very unfair” to U.S. dairy farmers in a speech to factory workers in Wisconsin. He said it’s another typical one-sided deal against the Americans, and it’s not going to be happening much longer.
Lavoie, however, disagrees with this statement.
“I don’t understand why it would be unfair if we can control the production here in Canada, but they don’t control it themselves in the states,” he said. “So, the price goes down, and the consumer fees are the same price. So, as a result, I don’t understand Trump’s statement.”
Lavoie adds that Trump’s “Blame Canada” attitude is not going to help improve the U.S. dairy industry.
“Here in Canada, we manage our system,” said Lavoie. “All the producers work very well together to control our system. As well, the government never had to put anything into the dairy industry for the past 25 years.”
– Posted by BET
