national
farmers union
LOWER BEDEQUE, P.E.I-."Minister Vanclief and his government are neglecting our domestic agricultural policy and concentrating on expanding trade. As a result, he is neglecting farm families and rural communities and promoting the interests of the agri-business corporations which benefit most from increased agri-food trade. Domestic agricultural policy is the key to food sovereignty, reasonable and stable returns to farmers, and the health of the rural economy. The ability to export our surpluses is welcome but unreliable--like timely rains," said NFU Region 1 (Maritimes) Coordinator Randall Affleck. Affleck was responding to Minister Vanclief's statement in his May 12 news release which stated:
This is a delicate period for world trade as we attempt to move from the significant steps taken in the Uruguay Round towards even more positive steps.... We need to work together to ensure that our actions reflect our common interest in strengthening world markets to the benefit of producers....
In a separate May 12 release, Vanclief stated:
...the benefits of growth [in agri-food trade]--at home and abroad--must be shared by all in the sector.
Vanclief's releases pointed, once again, to Canada's success at increasing agri-food exports. Affleck pointed out that while agri-food exports doubled between 1989 and 1997, realized net farm income over the same period remained largely stagnant, rising from $3.2 billion to just $3.3 billion. He said: " 'The benefits of growth' are not being 'shared by all in the sector'."
Affleck pointed out that, rather than providing benefits to producers, the push for increased exports and increased trade liberalization is having the opposite effect: prices for agricultural products are being maintained at a low level and programs and mechanisms to help farmers earn decent returns--such as Canadian dairy supply management and the Canadian Wheat Board--are under attack. "Implying that trade liberalization works to the 'benefit of producers' reflects a lack of understanding of the interests of producers and the realities on the farm," said Affleck.
Affleck concluded with a final comment on Vanclief's statements: "every time the Canadian government goes to the table to take 'even more positive steps' toward freer trade, farmers end up losing something. We lost Article Eleven of the GATT (which protected Canadian supply management) at the last round of trade negotiations. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman's recent announcement that the U.S. may soon resume subsidizing dairy exports shows that we got nothing in return. We do not have a treasury to match the U.S. or the E.U. in export subsidy wars, therefore we need a strong domestic agriculture policy--which include strong orderly-marketing and supply management programs--to defend Canadian farmers."
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