Ottawa has promised to protect supply management in future trade deals, citing a deal reached November 21 to ensure continuity in trading arrangements with the UK when it leaves the EU at the end of December.
“Our government will not provide market access to our supply managed sectors in any future trade agreements,” federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said November 28.
The pledge came as she announced compensation for supply-managed sectors hit hard by concessions made to reach a free trade deal with the EU as well as one with Pacific Rim nations. (New Zealand famously described it as requiring everyone to swallow a few dead rats.)
The new compensation package envisions close to $5 billion being paid to farmers in supply managed sectors, with a total of $4.3 billion to dairy farmers by 2024 and $691 million over 10 years to poultry and egg producers.
“These programs will respond to what was asked for by the poultry and egg working group following the ratification of CP-TPP, and will provide support to make investments on their farms that improve productivity and for increased market development,” says Bibeau.
She also defended the government’s record on CUSMA, implementation of which dairy producers say was accelerated to their detriment.
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