Is Supply Management in Agriculture a Hindrance at Trade Discussions? (Part 1)

The United States has repeatedly indicated that a key tension in NAFTA renegotiations is Canada’s continued protection of dairy, poultry and egg producers. These protectionist policies, known as supply management, were also an irritant in the Trans-Pacific free trade negotiations. The question for Canadians is why broad trade agreements, which benefit almost all Canadians, are being jeopardized to continue to protect a small subset of farmers in Canada—estimated at 13,500 nationwide. Supply management is a set of government-imposed production quotas and structured prices to limit domestic supply while impeding consumer access to foreign imports through tariffs. The outcome arguable is, reduced choice and higher prices for consumers, and higher revenues for producers. The speaker will contend that an often overlooked aspect of this protectionism is that it disproportionately affects the poor. Policies that raise prices of milk, cheese, eggs and chicken affect low-income families, and those with children, to a greater degree than higher income families. He will further argue that producers having to purchase very expensive and compulsory production quotas, ties up a lot of money that otherwise could be invested in more productive endeavours within their farming operation. Speaker: Dr. Danny Le Roy Danny Le Roy is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Lethbridge. He received his B.A. (Honours) in Economics in 1992 from Carleton University and his MSc and PhD in Agricultural Economics in (1994 and 2002, respectively) from the University of Guelph. He teaches courses in agricultural systems modeling, commodity marketing, agricultural policy and micro-economics. ??The focus of Dr. Le Roy's research is on livestock production, marketing and trade, emerging markets for irrigation water in Southern Alberta, and the impact of renewable energy policies on Canadian agriculture. He has been involved in numerous studies involving systems modelling of farms in Canada and assessments of agricultural policy and trade alternatives. ??Le Roy has served as an executive member of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society, the Alberta Agricultural Economics Association and the Tiffin Conference Organizing Committee. He has published in and reviewed several papers for the Canadian Journal of Economics, Current Agriculture, Food and Research Issues, Canadian Public Policy and the Western Economic Forum. He has been nominated twice for the Distinguished Teaching Award at the University of Lethbridge, and in 2004 and in 2008, he received the Agricultural Students Association Distinguished Teaching Award.  Moderator: Robert Campbell Date: Thursday, May 10, 2018 Time: Doors open 11:30 am, Presentation 12 noon, buffet lunch 12:30 pm, Q&A 1 – 1:30 pm Location: Royal Canadian Legion (north door) 324 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Lethbridge Cost:$14 buffet lunch with desert & coffee/tea/juice or $2 coffee/tea/juice. RSVP not required