Government of Canada Delivers New Programs for Supply Management Sector

Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The Government of Canada announced today a series of new programs and initiatives for supply-managed producers and processors to support them throughout the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement. Under both agreements, the three pillars of the supply management system will remain protected.

The following programs will be implemented:

1. The Income Guarantee Program will keep producers whole by providing 100 per cent income protection to producers for a full 10 years from the day TPP comes into force. Income support assistance will continue on a tapered basis for an additional five years, for a total of 15 years. $2.4 billion is available for this program.
2. The Quota Value Guarantee Program will protect producers against reduction in quota value when the quota is sold following the implementation of TPP. $1.5 billion has been set aside for this demand-driven program, which will be in place for 10 years.

The Government also announced two additional programs:

1. The $450 million-Processor Modernization Program will provide processors in the supply-managed value chain with support to further advance their competitiveness and growth.
2. The Market Development Initiative will assist supply-managed groups in promoting and marketing their top-quality products. To support the initiative $15 million in new funding will be added to the AgriMarketing Program.

In addition to the long-term $4.3-billion investment outlined above, the Government will intensify on-going anti-circumvention measures that will enhance our border controls. These measures include requiring certification for spent fowl, preventing importers from circumventing import quotas by adding sauce packets to chicken products, and excluding supply-managed products from the Government of Canada’s Duties Relief Program. Cheese compositional standards, introduced by the Government of Canada in 2008, have been maintained. The Government remains committed to ensuring they are enforced, so the standards we have for Canadian cheese are fully maintained.

The Canadian Dairy Commission and the Farm Products Council of Canada will work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to ensure the Income Guarantee and Quota Value Guarantee programs are delivered to producers in an effective and efficient manner. The Government will continue to work closely with dairy, poultry and egg producers and the entire supply-managed sector to implement these initiatives.

These Cabinet-approved initiatives will support producers and processors throughout the implementation period of TPP and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement.

The TPP will secure new market access opportunities for Canadian dairy, poultry and egg exports. Dairy, poultry and egg producers and processors will benefit over time from increased duty-free access to the United States and all other TPP countries. This will include complete tariff elimination on some specialty cheeses, including several artisanal cheeses, entering the United States.

Despite significant and broad demands from several of our TPP negotiating partners, Canada has offered only limited new access for supply-managed products. This access, which will be granted through quotas phased in over five years, amounts to a small fraction of Canada’s current annual production: 3.25% for dairy (with a significant majority of the additional milk and butter being directed to value-added processing), 2.3% for eggs, 2.1% for chicken, 2% for turkey and 1.5% for broiler hatching eggs.

Source: AAFC