Premier Kathleen Wynne and Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal say they have written a letter to the governors of New York and Wisconsin in defence of Canada’s supply-management system for dairy producers.
“The supply-management system allows hard-working Ontario farmers and processors to consistently meet the demand for safe, high-quality products for Ontario and Canadian consumers,” they said Saturday in a news release.
“We will continue to closely monitor trade relations between Ontario and the United States and will stand up for the interests of Ontario farmers and processors every time.”
According to the province, agri-food trade, including dairy, was responsible for nearly $29 billion in trade between Ontario and the United States in 2016.
Fears that U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans for renegotiating NAFTA could significantly affect Canadian dairy producers have intensified over the past week, following Trump’s vow to stand up for producers in Wisconsin.
Calling out Canada by name, Trump said that “very unfair things have happened” to dairy farmers in his country.
