Dairy supply management system is 'working well,' Thunder Bay farmer says - Action News
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Dairy supply management system is 'working well,' Thunder Bay farmer says

Canadas dairy industry has been caught in the crossfire of a heated war of words between the Canadian and United States governments that could escalate into a full-on trade war.

Bernie Kamphof says system criticized by U.S. President Trump works for consumers and farmers

Thunder Bay-area dairy farmer Bernie Kamphof says the dairy industry supply management system is 'working well' for farmers and consumers. (Adam Burns/CBC)

Canada's dairy industry has been caught in the crossfire of a heated war of words between the Canadian and United States governments that could escalate into a full-on trade war.

At the centre of it all is the dairy industry's supply management system. It consists of efforts to control prices for products like eggs, cheese and milk, in part to stabilize prices to ensure farmers can make enough to live on.

Thunder Bay-area dairy farmer Bernie Kamphof told CBC News the recent attention drawn to the dairy industry and the supply management system has created a sense of unease for dairy farmers.

"It's a made-in-Canada solution that's working well, and we'd like to keep it that way," he said. "We like the way it is right now."

"It's not that it's perfect, but it's been working well for both the consumers and for the farmers."

U.S. President Donald Trump has called the system unfair to American dairy farmers and has advocated for it to be dismantled.

Kamphof said he's not worried about Trump but is rather concerned what the Canadian government might do to appease the president who has become highly critical of trade with Canada.

Supply management: The argument for and against, and why Trump hates it

6 years ago
Duration 1:11
The National takes a brief look at supply management, the argument for and against it, and why U.S. President Donald Trump hates it and complains about Canada's system.

"The thing that we would be as dairy farmers concerned about would be the potential for our government to not support us any more because they are trying to appease Trump or trying to play us off against other sectors in a trade dispute," Kamphof added.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to protect the system, and Kamphof said he recognizes the support the industry has seen so far.

"The reality is that we've had really solid support from all levels of government and all parties, so I don't have a lot of concern about our system being compromised right now."

For Kamphof, he said he appreciates the stability that the supply management system brings and that it helps rural communities on the whole.

"It allows me to plan and make investments going into the future with the stability of knowing what I'm going to be getting for my milk price," he said. "If farmers do well, they spend money in the communities and that helps everybody."

With files from Cathy Alex