A message for Supply Management..

Farmers are concerned by all the media coverage and negative press supply management has been receiving and rightfully so.

Continued government assurances, public letters and appearances by the Minister have settled dairy farmers down for now. The underlying concern is still there.

Sometimes it helps to see another point of view. It can reminds us of events and comments that could be important.

From that perspective 3 articles by Wendy Holmes are very important.

Why you should care about the CWB vote In this article she reminds everyone of the legalities and history leading to the vote.

Lulled by the Spin Cycle captures the nasty, big business pundits who have been fueling the anti-supply management press.

The latest column is a humdinger called "the Elephant in the Milking Parlour".

The government is not likely to let us in on their plans. There may not be any warning. Time to forge a plan to make the government think twice. The power of public opinion is likely the only thing that will stop some of this. That cannot be harnessed when the public do not know what supply management brings to Canada. It needs to start now before something irreversible happens.

The media is in control of the supply management message and it isn't good. It is time to take control back.

A Defence of Supply Management (via CKCU)

Listen to this podcast with Prof. Bruce Muirhead of the University of Waterloo and Prof. Hugh Campbell of the University of Otago (NZ) discuss the merits of Supply Management. If the mainstream print and television media really wanted a balanced story they could search out this stuff just like I did. Since they have not it begs the question "why not?"

On the plus side radio in Ottawa DID initiate this discussion. On the minus side the announcer did not buy it. (While I remain dubious as to the merits of supply management as a public policy tool!!!!)

What is it with these guys? follow the link below to hear the entire podcast.

Defence of Supply Management (via CKCU)

The Canadian Media strikes again

More articles are hitting the mainstream about supply management again. One in the Globe and Mail goes from the undemocratic treatment of the Wheat Board, to the Governments’ policies on these two systems and the unbalanced treatment they receive to “Supply Management is a rip off for consumers”…etc., etc.

Recently foodie articles are showing up ( In search of higher fat butter) with plenty of zingers in them to try to nail that coffin shut. Phrases like:

"Canada is a butter backwater, with less variety and quality and far higher prices than nearly any other food-loving nation."

"it’s a monopoly-produced dairy commodity"

"a government-mandated 80-per-cent fat content"

"What’s worse, Canada’s government levies a 289.5-per-cent tariff on all but a tiny quantity of foreign butter."

"The Dairy Commission doesn't bother itself making the price of butter competitive for everyday consumers,"

Instead of using the article to help make consumers more informed about the issues behind the rules, there is one negative term after another.

The lack of logic and real information in these articles is one thing. The force behind them all is quite another. In the middle is the Consumer and the farmers that serve them wondering just who and what is going on.

An old but still true adage is ‘follow the money’. Someone is spending a great deal of time (and likely money) drawing in the right wing media and fueling this whole thing. That’s actually pretty easy to do because our media seems to want to ignore what farmers themselves and their defenders are trying to say.

If a sampling of comments on this same article is anything to go by, consumers are being affected by this negative press.

Since no one can get any print or air time of consequence, other tactics are required.

I don’t believe the industry has put enough money behind this issue yet.

The Canadian Press ... nasty stuff

If you google "supply management" today, hundreds of article pop up.

Most of them would be grounds for legal action if supply management was a company.

As the media continues its relentless onslaught against the system of supply management, one has to wonder exactly who they are satisfying and why.

I thought I lived in a democracy with a free press. They are free all right, free to embellish, lie and ignore.

Why is it that not one reporter has sought to find out what the system really means to farmers? No one even seems prepared to tell their side of the story in spite of mountains of comments full of information that should make people pause.

The issues about the safety and security of our food supply (remember the China syndrome?) and the need for safe secure local food supply seem to have gone missing too.

If we cannot depend on our press and media to give us some reality and truth where can we find it? - cg

Chocolate BEVERAGE?? EH!?

The issue of Canadian Dairy processing companies replacing (quietly) 1 % chocolate milk with chocolate beverage has been driving me slightly batty. In the usual fashion of the industry the farmers have been discussing this new wrinkle with the processors trying to get them to pay attention. Meanwhile, the consumer who has been buying this product with confidence has been cruelly tricked!!

I was roaming the web to see what I could see and came across this really good article from another website (Another Talking Head) " Chocolate Milk Beverage", WTF? This cheeky slightly irreverent title is the opener for a well done blog posting about this issue. Even better, this is another consumer who is not happy and wants answers. Even better than that, there are lots of comments posted about this messy business.

I was intrigued to see the Sealest/Parmalat response that claims the formulation change is a result of a federal regulation change. What hogwash!! They are saving mega dollars and can still discount this stuff in the stores. They don't have to use as much milk from Canadian Dairy farmers. Many consumers do not realise what the differences are. The packaging they are using is a blatant abuse. Shame on you Parmalat!

The author is quite right when he discusses the length of the listed ingredients fotr the 'beverage' versus milk. The company can source its Modified milk ingredients from the cheapest available product. It does not have to be Canadian product at all.

There is more...... Chocolate Dairy Beverage, Where’s The Follow-up (WTF)?? is the next round. More good fodder here, too!!! Better watch out Parmalat.

I have gone searching to find 'other' companies that DO provide us with the real thing. In particular I was looking for 4 litre bags of the good stuff.

I found 4 litre bottles of 1% Chocolate milk from Macs Milk and I found 1, 2 and 4 litres of the good stuff from Dairy Oh! a Neilsons Brand.

Macs Milk provides the 4 litre and 1 litre plastic bottles of the good stuff.

Someone needs to take the time to educate the public about what the differences are. Trying to fob off the changes as necessary to meet regulations is horse manure. The regulations state what can be called milk so if a processor wants to goof around with any milk or cream product they can not call it milk any more. This is the reason for the change. The regulation was intended to protect the public and standardize our products.

And apparently we need regulations more than ever........ look what they are trying to do with our chocolate milk.-CG

Feb 12th is Food Freedom Day!

The article below is reprinted from Dairy Farmers of Canada's Feb Action FAX.

On February 12, 2010, the average Canadian will have earned enough income to pay his or her individual grocery bill for the entire year, making it Food Freedom Day!

Food Freedom Day occurs on the same day it did last year, due largely in part to the fact that Canada’s food costs have risen by less than 1% over the past year. This is very low, especially when compared to the United States and the European Union where food prices have gone up by 4% and in some cases over 5%.

Despite the low rise in food prices for Canadian consumers, the Farmers' Share, a recent study commissioned by prairie members of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), showed that, on average, only 27 per cent of the cost of an entire week's worth of groceries for a family of four goes back to the farms where the food is produced.

To ensure that consumers are able to identify Canadian food products and support our agriculture sector, DFC supports the position of the CFA that they will continue to advocate for effective ingredient-based 'Product of Canada' guidelines that are both informative to the consumer and practical to the agri-food sector. Additionally, consumers know they can continue to support Canadian dairy farmers by looking for the 100% Canadian Milk logo on dairy products.

Products with this logo ensure that consumers are buying highquality, safe and delicious products made with Canadian milk ingredients. “Farmers are very proud of their role in providing high quality food produced at the highest food safety and environmental standards," - Laurent Pellerin, CFA President

This article is courtesy of information from the Candian Federation of Agriculture. For more information please visit cfa-fca.ca

Remebrance Day 2009

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.