‘It just never seems to go away’: Dairy Farmers of Canada president reacts to Trump’s tariff threats

[00:00:00]As Canada's premiers meet, those affected most by Trump's potential tariffs are still planning their next move. So, to to discuss how Canada's dairy industry could be impacted, we've reached David Wiens in Grunthal, Manitoba. He's the president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. Thank you so much for making time for us today.

[00:00:19]>> Hi Arshy. Yeah, good to be with you. You know, I want to just start by getting your reaction to the US announcement about these 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods including dairy.

[00:00:30]Yeah, I mean we're you know, there's been a lot of talk on dairy and and we're really disappointed that it's come up again this way.

[00:00:37]It just never seems to go away completely and and so and I I know that it's not just about dairy, but certainly we didn't think that you know, we were hoping that this would finally go away.

[00:00:52]>> In terms of the impact of these 50% tariffs and we know they would not take effect until August 19th, but as you assess the damage, what could it look like?

[00:01:03]>> Well, that's one of the things that we're still trying to assess, you know, what that would actually mean for us as as dairy and and certainly I mean beyond that, you know, the the the threatened tariffs go way beyond just dairy, but but we're continuing to do those that analysis to see what exactly this, you know, what what is the impact of this we continue and you know, it's a concern for us and especially considering that you know, we have an agreement Kuzma's there. It was negotiated and and both parties agreed to it at the time and yet there seems to be this major dissatisfaction.

[00:01:45]>> What is your expectation as of course we understand that the review of Kuzma is underway. We know that there are talks between the US and Mexico that the Prime Minister has said he intends to speak or intensify discussions with Donald Trump and that the US president agreed to that. What's your expectation from those talks when it comes specifically to your industry given this threat?

[00:02:09]>> Well, we know that that our government has committed to defending and you know, defending and supporting supply management and dairy at the negotiating table. And so, you know, that's that's a very strong indication that we have that the the Canadian government also understands you know that in terms of of dairy and and the US you know, we have as as Canada, we have honored the trade agreement that was there that the what was negotiated several years ago and so you know, we expect that the Canadian government will continue to support us as I expect that they will also support other agricultural and all other industries in Canada because this is about defending Canada.

[00:02:58]>> You know, of course these tariffs are it's a wide swath of industries that will feel the impact of them. Dairy, the supply management program system that exists within Canada has certainly been a major irritant for the US. We've heard that in multiple times as you referenced as well.

[00:03:16]What would your reaction be if there was a change to that?

[00:03:21]>> Yeah, I'm certainly not going to be speculating about you know, exactly what path the Canadian government's going to take in these negotiations, but certainly we have very strong support from the Canadian government and we expect that they will continue to to defend us. And I and I think it's and they can defend us. I mean, when you look at the facts of of the the trade between Canada and the US when it comes to dairy, the US has received considerable tariff free access to the Canadian market. And and and other thing is that Canada is the US's second largest dairy export market and after Mexico. And on a per capita basis, we're actually their largest market. So, I think that's important to remember that when we look at the the trade balance now between Canada and the US when it comes to dairy, the US exports over a billion dollars of Canadian of dairy into Canada and and imports from us about 391 million dollars. So, you can see that that trade balance is very much in their favor. And ultimately, when it comes down to it, we should not be apologizing for wanting a strong Canadian dairy sector that ensures a reliable milk supply from Canadian farms, you know, produced according to Canadian standards and for Canadian consumers. I think that's so important, especially as we talked about food sovereignty and food security when there's so much instability not only in in our own country, but especially when you get beyond the borders of Canada.

[00:04:55]>> Well, we know that this is a developing story, so perhaps we'll get a chance to reconnect down the line. Thank you so much for this, David. We appreciate your insights.

[00:05:03]>> Thank you, Aarti.

[00:05:04]>> That is David Wiens. He is the president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. He joined us today from Grunthal, Manitoba.