Nova Scotia dairy producers opt for quota price cap

Thursday, August 8, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

Nova Scotia will retain its dairy quota price cap after all.

At a special meeting on Aug. 2, Nova Scotia dairy producers voted 163 to two in favour of reaffirming support for the quota cap policy and to direct the board of Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia to rescind its decision to remove the cap.

One farmer at the meeting abstained from voting, according to a notice on the Dairy Farmers of Ontario website.

The Nova Scotia board had passed a motion on June 27 to remove the policy, which is harmonized with four other Eastern Canadian provinces under a joint milk pooling agreement.
 
The board subsequently rescinded that decision after the special meeting.

Under the milk pooling agreement, the provinces – Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island – share revenue from fluid and industrial milk markets and work cooperatively on other matters of mutual interest.

The provinces have worked for years to harmonize their polices, including those involving quota, and introduced a harmonized price cap of $25,000 per kilogram in 2009.

Graham Lloyd, general counsel and communications director for DFO, says the Ontario dairy board believes “the cap is in the best interests of all producers as a whole and that the (Nova Scotia) decision confirms and reflects that.” BF