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World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations
GO5 Coalition for a fair farming model, supply management, meets with its main partners

Longueuil, June 13, 2006 - A few days from the deadline to submit a draft of the terms and conditions that may make it possible to reach an agreement with the WTO, Québec farmers met with their main partners, with whom they form the Coalition for a fair farming model, supply management. The meeting was specifically intended to report the coalition’s actions since the first partner forum held in June 2005 and provide an update on WTO negotiations.

“No agreement at all would be preferable to an agreement by which we risk dismantling supply management while gaining nothing for the other agricultural sectors.” . It was in those terms that the President of the Union des producteurs agricoles and spokesman for the coalition, Laurent Pellerin, expressed his concerns about reaching an agreement that would involve reduced tariffs at the borders, thus allowing more imports of foreign products that are often highly subsidized, and endanger the survival of the supply management system. Supply management makes it possible for farmers to maintain human-scale farms and earn fair remuneration for their work.

Not even 10% of all food grown in the world is traded between countries. Even in Canada, which is the world’s 4th largest exporter of agricultural products, 70% of farm revenues come from the domestic market. Mr. Pellerin feels that the WTO should just regulate international trade and not dismantle domestic policies, like supply management, which does not create an imbalance in the market.

Furthermore, the spokespersons for the Coalition are thrilled about public support for the principles of supply management. A nationwide survey conducted Léger Marketing for the five Canadian farmer organizations under supply management (milk, chicken, turkey and table eggs (SM5) shows that 85% of Canadians agree with the Canadian government defending supply management before the WTO and that 98% believe it is important that Canadians have access to a steady supply of Canadian farm products. “The Canadian government is making the right choice in defending supply management before the WTO. This survey shows once again that Canadians want their farmers to feed Canadians first,” declared Marcel Groleau, President of the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec. Mr. Groleau reminds us that one of the major advantages of supply management is that it allows farmers to earn fair incomes entirely from the market, without subsidies.

GO5 Coalition for a fair farming model, supply management, also redesigned an Internet site specifically for the general public. “The Léger Marketing survey shows that there is major public support for the principles we are defending, but people must go even further and send a clear message to the Harper government that it must continue to defend the interests of our farmers before the WTO” concluded Serge Lefebvre, President de la Fédération des producteurs d’œufs de consommation du Québec, who invites the public to learn more about the coalition on its Internet site:

In conclusion, the text explaining the terms and conditions is scheduled to be submitted on June 19 in Geneva. It is intended to be used as the final basis for negotiations for the Ministerial Conference on June 29, which will be also be held in Geneva and could lead to the signing of an agreement.

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More than fifteen organisms participed at the meeting held by GO5 Coalition for its main partners on June 13 : the Association des transporteurs de lait du Québec, the Association québécoise des organismes en coopération internationale, the Association québécoise des industries de nutrition animale du Québec, the CSN, National Bank of Canada, the Centre d’insémination artificielle du Québec, the Chaire Philippe – Pariseault (UQAM), CECI-Uniterra, the Conseil de développement de l’éducation et de la citoyenneté, the Coop Fédérée Équiterre, Exceldor, the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire de l’Université de Montréal, the Fédération des caisses Desjardins, Oxfam-Canada and Valacta.

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