TPP Rally Draws Dozens of Dairy Farmers

Sunday, 4 October 2015 09:37

A rally was held last week in front of the office of Dave MacKenzie in Woodstock

OXFORD COUNTY - Discussions being held in Atlanta about the Trans Pacific Partnership has dairy farmers in Oxford County looking at the future with trepidation.

Some national news outlets are reporting that as part of the TPP the Canadian dairy industry would be asked to take concessions and allow American milk to spill over the border. Understandably, dairy producers worry about what would happen to their livelihoods if that came to pass. Earlier this week farm families gathered outside Dave MacKenzie's office to voice their concerns over the possibility of the agreement.

Until a decision has been reached many famers are being cautious about how they invest. Local diary farmer and chair of the Oxford Dairy Producer Committee Catherine Agar says they have put off making renovations and improvements on the farm until they can be sure their income will not be affected. "It probably amounts to about $500 000 that we're sitting on and not going to reinvest in the local economy if this deal goes the wrong way. We may have to reconsider where and how we spend that money." She says other businesses like builders, electricians, and plumbers among others are losing out on money while the farmers wait to see what the future holds.

"If we loose some of our market we're going to have to reevaluate how we run our business. And some of those cuts are going to be passed on to our suppliers, the people we purchase from," says Agar. "We're going to have to be more choosey about where we spend our money and that's going to go directly into our local Oxford County economy."

She also mentions the dairy industry provides full time jobs and even takes on students from very young ages to help them pay for their education down the road. "That was how they helped paid for their education, working on the dairy farm. So they're good jobs for young people, and good full time employment for people as well. So it's not just 320 people, they can be big businesses."

Although politicians have committed to supporting the dairy industry, many farmers cast a wary eye at the CETA negotiations which already allow greater Canadian market access to European cheeses.

In an email sent to Heart FM by Agar she says she worries about the longterm impacts. "MP MacKenzie said the government will provide compensation to affected farmers. We are not interested in trading long term revenue for a one time cash injection from taxpayers. That wouldn't be in the best interest of farmers, the local economy or tax payers."

So far, nothing has been firmly decided in terms of the TPP and negotiations are ongoing. At the rally on Tuesday, MP Dave MacKenzie said they support supply management and urged the farmers to not believe everything they read in the national media.

Agar suggests residents of Oxford show their support for Canadian farmers by putting their money where their mouth is - when buying dairy products, she asks that consumers look for the Made With 100% Canadian Milk logo.