Federal NDP Calls For Continued Protection Of Canada’s Dairy Products Against Cheaper U.S. Imports

‘We Must Protect Our Dairy Producers’ -NDP Motion

From the New Democratic Party of Canada

Posted April 30th, 2016 on Niagara At Large

(A Brief Note from Niagara At Large – NAL is continuing to post news updates on this issue because dairy farming is a significant part of a farm industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the economy of this region.)

Ottawa, Ontario – New Democrats tabled a motion earlier this April calling on Canada’s Liberal government to keep its election promises and commitments made at the beginning of its mandate and require all Canadian producers to respect cheese composition standards immediately.

“The situation is urgent and producers are tired of waiting. The solution is simple and comes down to the government standing up for Canada’s dairy industry by enforcing cheese composition standards,” said NDP Agriculture critic Ruth Ellen Brosseau (Berthier-Maskinongé). “Our family dairy farms are being threatened and the NDP will continue to fight for their future.”

Canadian producers lost a total of over $220 million in 2015 due to imported diafiltered milk from the United States. The industry is calling for this problem to be solved immediately by properly enforcing cheese composition standards.

“Dairy producers are fed up. We even missed a day of work to come to Ottawa to express our discontent. The Liberal government promised us action – but we’re still waiting. It’s time for them to get moving,” said Pierre Lampron, 2nd vice-president of the Quebec Federation of Dairy Producers.

Diafiltered milk is a milk protein concentrate from the United States designed to circumvent Canadian regulations and laws as no American processor uses it.

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