Update On United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
October 5, 2018
What we know
DFC has been working hard to analyse the potential impact of the agreement on farmers and the industry. The federal government has not yet provided official text and details regarding the USMCA. Other than the text released by the US on the USTR site on October 1ST , there is still no official text official text and details regarding the USMCA. Furthermore, some parts of the text are still being negotiated. In this context, it remains challenging for DFC to confirm details that were published on Oct. 1, 2018 about the new agreement. We are therefore still gathering information to assess the impact.
We understand that some parts of the text are still being negotiated, we want to be prudent in our assumptions and analysis. We continue to assess the impact of this deal with provincial staff as information is shared with us.
What we are doing
1. Focus on government understanding the impact of this deal:
Since the announcement, DFC has met with various important politicians of all stripes, political staff and federal government civil servants to ensure they understand the significance of this trade deal for farmers and the dairy sector as a whole. We want to ensure they understand the level of concern and disappointment so they understand the need for government action.
This past week, DFC has:
- Briefed key policy staffers in Opposition parties. Among the key MPs we met, Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer, ministers, senators, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau;
- Taken a firm tone with the federal government, releasing five statements and press releases and videos to media in three days. We have conducted media interviews and have been active on social media. These activities has been picked up by media and noted by government;
- Encouraged farmers, through our social media platforms and provincial organizations, to tell the government and MPs how they feel. A Q&A and ‘spin vs fact’ document was developed and circulated to help farmers communicate the seriousness of the situation;
- Maintained relations with industry stakeholders to align our lobby efforts.
2. Cultivate public support for Canadian Farmers and Canadian Dairy
There is a lot of support for Canadian dairy farmers and consumers want to know how to make sure they buy Canadian milk and dairy products. DFC and the provincial organizations have been busy with outreach to media, consumers and stakeholders as well to help them identify Canadian dairy products in stores.
You will find attached two documents related to this: a consumer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document and infographic (how do I know the dairy product I buy is Canadian?). These are being shared by all farmer organizations – and many of you. We know several farmers have taken on various initiatives to share information to consumers about the logo or labelling of imported products. Thank you and please feel free to continue to share widely. DFC will turn up the volume on this as well.
3. Ongoing Communications with farmers
DFC and the provincial organisations appreciate and understand that farmers and families are very concerned about their future and the future of their farms. Until we have confirmation from the government about a number of details that are not exact, we will continue to stress the highlights below. We will also continue to share communication tools with you, including media statements, video declarations, comments from meetings and the overview of analysis on the DairyExpress+ app1.
What’s next
Your dairy organisations will continue to assess the impact of the agreement to our markets, and work with stakeholders to:
- Mitigate losses as best as possible;
- Share relevant information as it becomes available on the app, social media and via the provincial marketing boards;
- Produce a tool-kit for producers to help you advocate for your industry;
- Foster broad support in Canada for Canadian dairy farmers; and
- Ensure the federal government articulates its vision for the future of the dairy industry as an economic engine in our country.
1 If you don’t have it yet, please download ‘DairyExpress+’ from the iStore or the play store. Note that there is an approval process in place to ensure only licensed dairy farmers download the app.
USMCA and Dairy: Canadian Government Spin vs Fact
October 1, 2018
October 1, 2018 - Ottawa, ON – Dairy farmers across Canada want to make sure Canadians have the facts - not just the government spin - on what the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) means for the Canadian dairy sector.
Spin |
Fact |
|---|---|
| "It’s a good day for Canada.” | This is a bad outcome for dairy farmers and the whole dairy sector. The Government has conceded access to our domestic market to the US, affecting our ability to produce Canadian milk. By doing so, it is slowly bleeding Canada’s dairy sector. |
| "We will defend supply management” | For the US, this was never about supply management. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said months ago "It’s not our purpose to try to manage or try to get involved in their internal supply management regarding the dairy industry….I made it very clear that the Class 7 designation we felt was an unfair undercutting of the U.S. industry that grew up south of the U.S.-Canada border.” The Canadian government concessions equate to death by a thousand cuts. |
| "We look forward to ultimately signing a deal as long as it's good for Canada and good for middle class Canadians”. | The 220,000 Canadian families who depend on dairy for their livelihood (on farms, in processing plants and related jobs) feel they were used as a bargaining chip to conclude this agreement. |
| "No NAFTA deal is better than a bad NAFTA deal.” | This deal not only gives more access to the Canadian dairy market, while limiting our ability to produce and export home-grown dairy products; this deal lets the Americans dictate our dairy policies. Fairer trade is about win-win results. If our government fought for a good deal for Canadian industry, it wasn’t dairy. |
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canada’s farmers. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy sector, today and in the future. It works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy farming and promote dairy products and their health benefits.
Media contact: Lucie Boileau
Director of Communications
Lucie.Boileau@dfc-plc.ca
613-220-1724
Dairy Farmers’ livelihood sacrificed again
October 1, 2018
October 1, 2018 (Ottawa) – Dairy farmers across Canada are deeply disappointed over the news of the concessions made on the dairy sector to conclude a new USMCA agreement. Once again, dairy farmers again paid the price to conclude an international trade agreement.
"The announced concessions on dairy in the new USMCA deal demonstrates once again that the Canadian government is willing to sacrifice our domestic dairy production when it comes time to make a deal," said Pierre Lampron, President of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC). "The government has said repeatedly that it values a strong and vibrant dairy sector – they have once again put that in jeopardy by giving away more concessions,” he added.
USMCA follows two previous trade agreements in which access to the Canadian dairy market was granted, CETA and the CPTPP, which sacrificed the equivalent of a quarter of a billion dollars annually in dairy production to industries in other countries. This new agreement once again weakens the dairy sector which, among other things, employs more than 220,000 Canadians and contributes some 20 billion dollars a year to Canada’s gross domestic product. The livelihood of these thousands of Canadians and the future generations of dairy producers is seriously at risk.
"Today, the message sent to our passionate, proud and quality-conscious farmers and all the people who work in the dairy sector is clear: they are nothing more than a bargaining chip to satisfy President Trump,” added Mr. Lampron.
For consumers, each concession replaces Canadian dairy products, products made with great care by Canadians, using extremely high-quality Canadian milk with no artificial growth hormones. The USMCA agreement is opening the gate even further by letting foreign products, made according to standards inferior to our own, onto the shelves of our grocery stores.
The Canadian government has said loud and clear that it wants a prosperous dairy sector. It will be interesting to see how it can reconcile the concessions made in the negotiation of this agreement with its goal of prosperity.
Video (high-resolution) reactions of Pierre Lampron, President of DFC and David Wiens, Vice-president can be downloaded from this link: www.skyflyproductions.com/DFC
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canada’s farmers. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy sector, today and in the future. It works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy farming and promote dairy products and their health benefits.
Media contact: Lucie Boileau
Director of Communications
Lucie.Boileau@dfc-plc.ca
613-220-1724
Today is an exciting day as we are pleased to announce our foray into a new era at Holstein Canada – e-Documents!
August 17, 2016For many years, all official documents provided to you by Holstein Canada have been paper – this included all certificates of registration, pedigrees, invoices and statements, genotyping and genomic reports, awards, etc.
Today is an exciting day as we are pleased to announce our foray into a new era at Holstein Canada – e-Documents!
You, our clients, are now able to retrieve PDF versions of your official documents from the new "e-Documents” section of their Holstein Canada web account.
You also have the option to set your delivery preference to electronic or paper, whichever method is most efficient for your individual operation. Selecting electronic preference means you no longer wish to receive printed documents in the mail: less mail, less paper, less filing! e-Documents are available online, regardless of Electronic or Print & Mail preference.
Check out the following FAQ with regards to this exciting new feature:
Where do I find my preferences? Once logged into your web account, the preference feature can be found in the main menu on the left-hand side of your web account.
How do I change my preferences? Categories of documents currently sent via mail are listed under preferences. Use the radio buttons on the right to indicate how you would prefer to receive each of the documents.
Can I have different preferences for different documents? Absolutely! If you would like to receive some categories of documents electronically and others on paper, simply indicate this using the radio buttons. Remember, the documents will be available electronically regardless of preference.
Where do I find my e-Documents? All new e-Documents can be found under the "e-Documents” tab in the main menu on the left-hand side of your web account. Your e-Docs will remain here for one year; you must either print or save the PDFs to your own computer before the documents expire. Transaction details and statements will continue to be available under the "Account” tab, and conformation visit reports will continue to be available under the "Conformation” tab in the account.
I don’t have a web account…how do I get one? Visit www.holstein.ca or contact Customer Service to sign up today and save a tree!
Have more questions, or need assistance? Contact Customer Service at customerservice@holstein.ca or 1-855-756-8300.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation as we move ahead with this highly-anticipated change!
Relive the Moments
June 28, 2016Have a look back at all of the excitement shared at the 2016 National Holstein Convention in Alberta by visiting our Flickr page below.
The new Herdbook is HERE!
February 02, 2016New services are up and running. As with any major change, we appreciate there will be a learning curve as members get use to new aspects, such as web accounts, however, we hope the new services meet your needs. If you have any questions, feel free to contact customer service at 1-855-756-8300. It’s very exciting to be milking in our new barn! Thank you for your support and patience.
Service Interruption Details
January 22, 2016
New Herdbook System is Ready!
December 16, 2015At Holstein Canada we are getting ready to roll-over to the brand new Herdbook system! Some final extensive testing is now being wrapped up, and the official launch will begin Friday, January 29, 2016. As mentioned in the previous issue of InfoHolstein, the roll-over will take up to 10 days (including weekends) to completely implement. We will continue to update via our website and social media to keep you informed as to what is happening every step of the way. Read More»
Serving YOU Better: Holstein Canada Upgrades Phone System
April 16, 2015
Call us at: 519-756-8300 OR toll free at 1-855-756-8300
Holstein Canada clients who call into the head office in Brantford, ON will notice a difference in how the phone system prompts you. Effective April 2015, an upgraded phone system has been implemented at Holstein Canada, which has many key advantages to serve clients. When calling into the head office, clients are still prompted by an auto-attendant but can press 0 at any time to speak with the Holstein Canada receptionist. The upgrade enhancements will allow for future growth to increase the level of customer service offered to our clients. The system allows for multiple search options so be sure to listen to the prompts before making your final selection! When calling Holstein Canada, some menu items have changed and will sound like the following:
- Clients will be able to switch between French and English Languages by hitting 8 any time throughout the menus
- For a department listing, press 5 instead of 1
- For a company directory, press 9 instead of 3
- For National Livestock Identification, press 3 instead of 4
- For office hours and location, press 6 instead of 5
- For Customer Service, press 4 instead of 6
Please note: At any time you can press 0 to reach the Holstein Canada receptionist.
Resolutions for the 2015 AGM
April 02, 2015
The Board of Directors reviews and discusses all resolutions passed at the Annual General Meeting of Member... Read More»
Holstein Canada closed for Family Day
February 13, 2015
Please be advised that the Holstein Canada office will be closed for Family Day on Monday, February 16, 2015, and reopen for regular hours on Tuesday, February 17, 2015.
Holstein Canada closed for Civic Holiday
July 22, 2014
Please be advised that the Holstein Canada office will be closed for the Civic Holiday on Monday, August 4th, 2014.
Canadian Breed Strategy
April 08, 2014
Enhance selection criteria that provide the best genetics to Canadian Holstein producers and the world... Read More»
Resolutions for the 2014 AGM
March 24, 20144
Check out the 2013 The Cow of the Year booklet!
February 14, 2014
Holstein Canada Holiday Hours
Decemeber 20, 2013
Family is always a significant focus for both Holstein Canada members and staff alike. With this in mind, the Holstein Canada office will be closing... Read More»
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Decemeber 12, 2013
Please be advised that tomorrow, Friday, December 13, 2013, our Business & Technology Solutions department at Holstein Canada has scheduled a planned outage with the Holstein.ca website as part of the continuous new improvements we are making to our infrastructure at head office! The website will be offline and unavailable beginning at 5:00 p.m. EST for the remainder of Friday evening. Expect to see the website live again late into the evening on Friday night or Saturday morning. We appreciate your patience during this planned outage. Make sure to register/transfer your animals as needed tonight or before 5:00 p.m. EST tomorrow!
