More than 70 percent of the (1,360) people surveyed agreed that it was important for their government to protect our dairy industry. And 89 percent said it was important, or very important, that the milk products they use come from Canadian farmers.

The Canadian government is currently negotiating an international trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11 other nations. These findings are significant for Canadian negotiators as they continue to come under pressure to overhaul the way in which dairy products are bought and sold in this country.

Also significant was the finding that more than 80 percent of Canadians contacted said they didn’t mind paying more for milk produced in Canada because it doesn’t contain growth hormones.

“This is a clear message to the government of Canada,” says Wally Smith, president of DFC. “We’ve been saying all along that Canada’s dairy system is worth keeping. And consumers in this country clearly feel the same way.”

The poll, conducted by Environics Research, is considered to be accurate plus or minus 2.7 percent.

Almost nine in 10 Canadians (86 percent) said they were concerned about lowering Canada’s food safety and quality standards.

“Canadian milk is produced according to standards that are among the highest in the world for safety and quality, and it’s because of supply management that these standards are enforced,” says Smith. “Canadians don’t want to see a free trade agreement threaten that.”

Canadians can visit DFC’s canadianmilkmatters.ca to learn more about the threat to Canada’s dairy system and tell their members of parliament how they feel about those potential changes.  PD

—From Dairy Farmers of Canada news release