Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist
CARLETON-SUR-MER – Canadian dairy farmers remain concerned about the potential impact of future trade talks with the United States, despite the fact that supply management is now protected by law in Canada.
The regional president of Quebec Milk Producers, Normand Barriault, recently attended a national conference in Toronto where this issue was discussed in the context of the trade war with our southern neighbours, led by President Donald Trump.
“There are always threats. We talk about negotiations, but there are no negotiations to be had with him. He will impose what he wants. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s a big spoiled baby and he’ll cry about it anyway. No matter what Mark Carney (the Prime Minister of Canada) is willing to leave on the table, he’ll never be satisfied,” says the dairy farmer from Carleton-sur-Mer.
But one fact that President Trump does not mention is revealing.
“The Americans export more to us than we export to them. Trump will never say this publicly, but there are many more American products on our shelves or in processing than we export with our specialty cheese products, which American restaurateurs want because they love them,” says Mr. Barriault.
Even when access is granted through agreements, Barriault notes that it is often limited. He gives the example of whole milk from Europe, which is technically permitted for import but has a short shelf life, making it difficult to export overseas.
“He’s a hyper-protectionist. It’s almost like playing ‘my daddy’s bigger than yours,’” says the regional president.
The impact of weather on production
Mother Nature’s capricious weather makes summer production difficult, even though producers remain optimistic and believe that the season will still be a good one.
“We thought we were going to have a very good year. We had an early spring with little snow to melt, but Mother Nature finally gave us a late and wet spring, which caused a delay between sowing and the first hay cut. It’s been a bit of a turbulent year,” notes Normand Barriault.
The combination of heavy showers every three days, humid heat, and then cold weather is causing the plants to grow quickly. “For grains and corn, we’re going to have variable yields because the mounds will be great, but in the gullies, the yield will be lower,” he notes, due to water accumulation in the lowlands.
The first hay harvest was generous, and the second, which is just around the corner, should also produce a very good yield. “It could be a record year in terms of volume, but we’ll have to see about the quality,” says Mr. Barriault.
A third harvest could be possible under current conditions. However, given the strong yields from the first two cuts, a third may not be necessary later in the season.
It remains difficult to predict how the rest of the summer will unfold, as everything depends on Mother Nature. “We’re still expecting a good season,” he concludes.