The Food Professor: Another ANONYMOUS LETTER from a dairy farmer in Ontario highlighting the growing mess created by supply management. And it’s only going to get worse.
The Food Professor: Another ANONYMOUS LETTER from a dairy farmer in Ontario highlighting the growing mess created by supply management. And it’s only going to get worse.
Now this is getting too much like literal living off the fat of the land for comfort.
Sounds like they need a new five year plan…Comrade
All of these types of issues were fully explored by Menshevik economists in the Soviet Union about 100 years ago.
It is ironic , but, a Canadian walking into an ordinary Russian grocery store will be shocked at the large selection of dairy products available and the very low prices for said products.
Russia is equally as well off as Mexico and has as nasty a cartel. I’ll pass on the half whale oil Russian butter.
C’mon man – weren’t you one of the guys posting stories here a few months ago that Russian butter is so good that the stores have to keep it locked up!
L – It’s not the fat in milk that is the problem. It is the fatheads setting the policies.
Note that with an oversupply of butter and cheese. No one suggests a sale price to benefit
consumers, who are paying Cartel level prices for dairy. Which has Quebec allotted the majority
of dairy quota.
The low fat skim milk from the U.S seems to be where most or all of whey protein supplements
here are produced. If Canadian dairy producers had excess skim milk, would not pricing it lower and allowing it to compete for the whey protein market here, be an option?
Is there an anti-animal based protein bias in federal agriculture policy? No one talks about these questions, all we hear are crickets.
Is there an anti-animal based protein bias in federal agriculture policy?
No, there’s a “we’re in the club and you’re not” bias.
Too bad that our supposed ‘conservative’ leader of the CPC wholeheartedly supports this system (as do the Liberals and the NDP). Only one federal party leader sides with Canadian families and opposes it.
What aboot the Food Police who scold us that milk is full of ‘animal hormones’ which is the cause of (fill in the blank) medical problems? Hence, feeding milk to your children is akin to POISONING your kids!! And now … Palm Oil in our MILK!!?? Ohhhhhhhhhhh mommmmmaaaaaaa … when will this horrifying factory farming just STOP!!???
The issue of palm oil being fed to dairy cattle had nothing to do with “poisoning” anyone. Several years ago people began noticing that butter used for frying was spattering as if there was water in the butter. This was traced back to said palm oil. Since the authorities (i.e. the dairy lobby) constantly boasted about the quality of Canadian milk this was an embarrassment to the industry. I’m not sure if they addressed it. When in Florida where I am now, I buy Kerrygold Irish butter from Costco (and have recently tries a New Zealand butter) both of which are far superior than the stuff I buy back home and possibly the main label butters available in supermarkets here. We have an RV so I plan on stuffing the refrigerator full of butter before we leave.
Several years ago people in BC began to notice that their butter was no longer softening in the summer heat. Palm oil.
“I can’t believe it’s not butter” … is the ad slogan used to sell margarine (that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole) … but it turns out I was eating that crap anyway. Rather disappointing.
I’ve tried and liked the Kerrygold Irish butter … but it comes in a brick, and not a convenient size for my covered butter dish. But perhaps it’s time to stop buying the Kirkland sweet butter if it’s filled with Palm oil. I’ll just have to carve up the Kerrygold brick. I can adjust. I’m not averse to change.
Look for the New Zealand butter in Costco as it’s significantly less expensive than Kerrygold and it seems very good.
Will do, cyclist.
“On top of it all, the high-fat milk is very expensive. In Ontario, raw milk now costs over $102 per 100 litres—while it’s only about $66 in the U.S. That makes Canadian milk production very profitable, if you’re part of the supply-managed system (aka “the club”).”
Interesting – yesterday in a Publix supermarket in Melbourne, FL, I bought a two quart container (approx. 2 lites) of whole milk for $3.55. At the current exchange rate this is about $5.10 which is not far off what I was paying in Ontario for whole milk (3.25% fat) particularly when you consider the price difference n raw milk noted in the article.
https://www.metro.ca/en/online-grocery/aisles/dairy-eggs/milk-cream-butter/2-whole-milk/3-25-milk/p/055300110003
Palm oil is very bad for you. Liberal government and supply cartels are worse for you.
Palm oil is pretty good, unless you’re a soybean lobbyist.
(I’m open to new information)
Ohhhhhhhhh mimmmaaaaaa … but the palm oil plantations are displacing the rain forest! The Pangolins are dying!!Oh my!!
Whoever wins this election will inevitably go down to Washington and concede to every one of Trump’s demands. That will include dismantling the dairy cartel by ditching the tariffs. A majority government avoids the hassle of facing some very angry Quebec voters for 4 years, but it has to be done.
Canadians are going to be very shocked at what happens to this country post-election. Currently, most of the population is in dreamland.
While they’re at it dismantling that ridiculous Dairy Cartel, a majority government should force an opening of equilization and scrapping that terrible situation for once and for all.
Or better yet let’s see a Liberal majority and maybe I’ll just move to Alberta because I expect (hope) they’ll pull the pin and get outta Dodge!
My government would likely accept the face saving gesture of keeping some tariffs, just not at the levels you have applied. Make it so American goods and services have more of an opportunity to be easily exported/bought in your country, and the Canadian government can go back to their voters and say they’ve managed to “protect Canadian business and consumers” while at the same time also touting a “a new, improved, better relationship with our largest trading partner…hooray”.
But the tariffs are just a minor aspect of a bigger problem, and an excellent way to focus minds on the rather problematic relationship we’ve had with your country for quite some time. On those issues my country will not be so likely to accept as much compromise.
And Canada does have to address its relationship with the U.S. — geography makes it so.
Plus, I might add, allowing American goods and services to more easily compete in your markets might help you domestic goods and services to be a bit better — such as getting rid of government command-control boondoggles like this milk butter fat issue, which is exactly what this was; Mao would be envious.
The issue isn’t feeding cows palm oil; it’s the ridiculous decisions (without an ounce of foresight and critical thinking) that led to feeding cows palm oil. Next year it will be feeding them recycled newspaper or some other stupidity because it will lead to “what the markets desire”!
Correct, USA competition would improve quality and price for the Canadian consumer. Anyone remember the highly protected wine industry which cost a lot and tasted like gasoline before the first free trade agreement eliminated the Canadian tariff protection? The Canadian industry lobbyists were nicknamed the “gripe and whine” industry. Nowadays we have a competitive Canadian industry with much better quality wine.
The immediate issue isn’t the tariffs, it’s the non-tariff restrictions that come with the tariffs that pretty much prevent imports. For example, under the butter classification, there is no allowance for “retail” and 50% of the quota is for using butter and related products for further value add processing
oh look. a tiny little corner of socialism in the dairy industry.
creating rocks and hard places in fine form.
The news on supply management keeps getting better and better. Our household used to buy a lot of dairy products but the cement like butter was the last straw.Since then we have greatly reduced our dairy purchases opting for alternative like almond milk etc. Buying hardly any cheese and also absolutely zero butter. Its great to hear the industry advertising the ” buy the dairy with the BlueCow on the label ” line. Smells like panic to me. They can all go to hell as far as my family is concerned.
Almond butter is crap, health-wise. Contrary to what its marketers tell you. Cow’s milk is far better for you. Though the stuff sold in grocery stores is dead. It contains none of milk’s live, natural enzymes, vitamins and other nutrients. Raw milk is the answer. (And, interestingly, it does not cause or result in lactose intolerance.) Great stuff. Tastes phenomenal and is really good for you.
Sounds like the Liberals are managing the dairy industry like they managed the Atlantic fishery. So what if they have excess skim milk. Dry it, put it in premium animal feed and export it to the US. And while they’re at it, no milk producing hormones in dairy cattle. It’s making my tits big and that’s not a good look on guys. Is that why everyone has a huge ass and is all clingy?
Once I stopped drinking milk … my desire to watch soap operas went away
As Ronald Reagan quipped, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
Serious question, how do I know if I’m getting palm oil in my milk? Would it be listed in the ingredients? Or just assume it’s there and buy from ???
You’re not getting palm oil in your milk. You’re getting milk from cows that have been fed palm oil.
If butter becomes hard from palm oil content and the milk to produce it had extra high fat,content then you are obviously consuming some, maybe quite a bit, of that palm oil
I don’t think it works like that. My wife ate broccoli while nursing our children. I don’t recall any broccoli coming out in her milk.
Palm oil is for wankers!