Food security – our achilles tendon

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Note from Garth: The orange guy says Canada will face new tariffs in a couple of weeks, and cites our Supply Management system as being unfair to American farmers. Is that just another lame excuse to dis us? And, by the way, why do we have SM? Does it benefit the ag community at the expense of consumers, or protect the country’s food supply? Murray Harris (“Cowman”) is a career dairy guy. I asked him for an explainer…

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By Murray Harris, Guest Blogger

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Paul Henderson is immortalized for his three game winning goals in the ’72 Canada Russia Series. Was the wizard in the series actually Bobby Clark whose two handed slash took out Valeri Kharlamov’s achilles tendon ? (Here)

The antagonist of the current Global Trade War has identified Canada’s achilles tendon as Dairy Supply Management (SM). Slashers are attempting to disable Canada’s food security and safety by disabling SM. The USA has not filled their allowed annual allocation of dairy exports into Canada under USMCA therefore no tariffs have been applied.

Once a country has lost its food security it is much easier to economically assimilate it into the Nation on which it relies for its food supply. Just as Canada now relies on USA for military security, imagine being reliant on MAGA for our food security.

Studies show that SM foods in Canada appear in the bottom third of food inflation rates. (Here)

75% of US milk production is sold through Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMO), that governs US milk supply and prices. FMMO mandate mirrors Canada’s Marketing Board mandate. Does MAGA even know FMMO exists? (Here)

Yes, let’s rid Canada of Supply Management and placate MAGA. In return for what, an NFL franchise? (Here) What validity do any agreements with the MAGA on anything, actually have?

Name an industrial sector that does not manage supply. Auto, Steel, Forestry, Mining, Utilities, Agriculture? Only the last one, Agriculture, excepting SM, sectors are price takers not price makers, with no control on supply, other than insolvency.

Other industrial sectors lay off workers and stop producing when supply exceeds demand. The agricultural sectors cannot do that. If you kill the cows, or the chickens, there is no switch to turn back on to start the productivity. That is why we have had two decades of beef prices exceeding inflation rates, due to the decimation of beef cow numbers from the BSE outbreak in 2003. (Here and Here)

In SM sectors, detailed demand/supply studies are undertaken to assure that supply meets demand and not exceed it. Results dictate quota allocation. A dairy farmer can accurately project their herd production nine months in advance. Over production is bad management. Under production can be caused by disease outbreaks, such as salmonella, leptospirosis, or other devastating occurrences. The fallacy of “dumped” milk is made for media consumption, and an admission of bad management. Except in open market agriculture, no knowledgable business manufactures a product for which there is no market.

If Supply Management is gone in Canada, one can surmise that dairy, poultry and egg production in Canada will be minimized. Those markets will be cyclically flooded when there is surplus US and New Zealand production, to the point where the debt load on Canadian farms is not manageable. When there is little domestic supply the imported product will increase in price. Do you want fresh milk, or UHT milk from NZ ?

Non SM poultry operations under 300 hens are permitted. Note that the road side prices for those eggs are $5 a dozen, compared to $3.93 at No Frills. Even at $5 these small flocks are operating at seasonal losses due to purchased feed costs. Scale gives efficiency and lower cost of production. Scale also increases risk by concentrating impact from disease, like H5N1. Canadian livestock production is small scale in comparison to USA. (Here and Here)

What about the environmental impact of your consumption footprint ?

In 2015 our family undertook an extended farm stay tour of NZ. We witnessed the environmental degradation on the South Island due to seasonally pastured dairy herds. Impacts of high levels of nitrates in the aquifers, and dry river beds due to irrigation are reported. We witnessed street protests of the environmental impact of NZ’s free market dairy sector. (Here)

In Ontario dairy farms are required to file Environmental Farm Plans every three years. (Here) Ontario livestock facilities require the filing of a Nutrient Management Plan to match land availability for spreading manure to animal units. These Regulations are requirements in SM sectors to assure environmentally sustainable production. (Here)

Compare an Ontario Dairy barn (Here) to an Arizona Dairy Cow lot, where the manure isn’t spread, it just blows away, and southern Arizona’s aquifers lost more than 5.7 million acre-feet of water from 2002 to 2017. (Here.) (Please read this link) Are potentially cheaper dairy and poultry products worth the environmental impact present in NZ (Here) and AZ?

Our lives and life styles are still about choices. You can take the easy way out and succumb to economic extortion, or you can resist. It is a challenge to keep your elbows up when your achilles tendon has been shattered.

About the Blogger: Murray Harris is a 40-year dairy farmer having developed his Burnview Holstein herd to one of Canada’s highest production herds. Community activist and Charter Member of Burlington’s Sustainable Development Committee, he has held positions on several Agricultural Committees and Conservation Halton. Married to his Trophy wife of 52 years, he’s a father of two, grandfather of three and continues to serve the community as a school bus driver. 

About the picture: Murray with 11-year-old walking buddy Halle. “In dog years we are the same age so neither of us are much into jogging. The white hat I wear when out in public with Joan so people think that Joan is taking her father out for a Day Away.”

To be in touch or send a picture of your beast, email to ‘garth@garth.ca’.

Source: https://www.greaterfool.ca/2025/07/14/food-security-our-achilles-tendon/