In ancient Rome, Emperor Augustus began the system of state bribery that writer Juvenal described as "bread and circuses", a term which, in modern times, has become synonomous with what is described in one reference source as "entertainment offered as an expedient means of pacifying discontent or diverting attention from a source of grievance".
To that end, and in keeping with the distractive purpose of any sort of "bread and circus" ceremony, Canada's dairy and poultry farmers would seem to be the modern-day practitioners of the Augustian art of diversion and/or distraction in the increasingly faint-hope of persuading someone, anyone, that they aren't being screwed by supply management.
All empires eventually come to and end and the above "bread and circus" performance by Canada's dairy and poultry farmers underscores the reality that the supply management "emperor" has increasingly-few clothes suitable to wear in public.
And still dairy producers have convinced themselves that quota price caps and transfer limitations are something other than a handy way to reduce quota debt so banks will eventually agree with ending sm
In a column in the June 8, 2015 edition of the National Post, Morris Darosh, Editor and Publisher of the Winnipeg-based agribusiness newsletter, AGRIWEEK, noted that this sort of campaign to build public support for supply management was because "Perhaps because they (supply managed farmers) cannot think of anything else to do".
Darosh went on to note - "The supply managed sector will not succeed in creating a groundswell of public support, and even if it could, public opinion will have little or no bearing on how government resolves this. It (supply management) is a monstrous problem arising from simplistic notions some generations ago."
Darosh concluded his column by noting - "Buying out $40 billion of marketing board quota at public cost is out of the question. But it is even further outside the realm of reason to abandon trade arrangements that would hugely benefit the country (and at least 90% of the non-supply-management farmers)."
In addition to providing an accurate statement of reality, Darosh, as the publisher of AGRIWEEK, Darosh provides fairly-convincing and fairly-irrefutable evidence that supply management has few, if any, friends in farm community.
While I support all of your comments, please do not assume that offering free food for one day a year in a tent on Parliament Hill is as far as it goes.
Lobbyists for Supply Management ("SM") are constantly whispering into the ears of bureaucrats and politicians year round. Agricultural lobbyists are the most active of all industry special interest groups, as reported by the government's lobbyists' registry.
I suggest that this seemingly innocuous free food event is merely the tip of the iceberg, designed to lull everybody into continuing their deep sleep while SM eats us alive, one day and one bite at a time.
Comments
In ancient Rome, Emperor Augustus began the system of state bribery that writer Juvenal described as "bread and circuses", a term which, in modern times, has become synonomous with what is described in one reference source as "entertainment offered as an expedient means of pacifying discontent or diverting attention from a source of grievance".
To that end, and in keeping with the distractive purpose of any sort of "bread and circus" ceremony, Canada's dairy and poultry farmers would seem to be the modern-day practitioners of the Augustian art of diversion and/or distraction in the increasingly faint-hope of persuading someone, anyone, that they aren't being screwed by supply management.
All empires eventually come to and end and the above "bread and circus" performance by Canada's dairy and poultry farmers underscores the reality that the supply management "emperor" has increasingly-few clothes suitable to wear in public.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
Yep the bait was set and taken if you believe it is not just a media slam against SM .
And still dairy producers have convinced themselves that quota price caps and transfer limitations are something other than a handy way to reduce quota debt so banks will eventually agree with ending sm
How is the the red bird thing going or should I say special bird thing going have a few people go there rights or did a big producer get them
my money is on the Amish or Mennonite community getting a special waiver to produce "red birds" for the marketplace...with special no cost quota
In a column in the June 8, 2015 edition of the National Post, Morris Darosh, Editor and Publisher of the Winnipeg-based agribusiness newsletter, AGRIWEEK, noted that this sort of campaign to build public support for supply management was because "Perhaps because they (supply managed farmers) cannot think of anything else to do".
Darosh went on to note - "The supply managed sector will not succeed in creating a groundswell of public support, and even if it could, public opinion will have little or no bearing on how government resolves this. It (supply management) is a monstrous problem arising from simplistic notions some generations ago."
Darosh concluded his column by noting - "Buying out $40 billion of marketing board quota at public cost is out of the question. But it is even further outside the realm of reason to abandon trade arrangements that would hugely benefit the country (and at least 90% of the non-supply-management farmers)."
In addition to providing an accurate statement of reality, Darosh, as the publisher of AGRIWEEK, Darosh provides fairly-convincing and fairly-irrefutable evidence that supply management has few, if any, friends in farm community.
Stephen Thompson, Clinton ON
In response to "perhaps because they cannot think of anythig else to do" http://betterfarming.com/comment/16345#comment-16345
While I support all of your comments, please do not assume that offering free food for one day a year in a tent on Parliament Hill is as far as it goes.
Lobbyists for Supply Management ("SM") are constantly whispering into the ears of bureaucrats and politicians year round. Agricultural lobbyists are the most active of all industry special interest groups, as reported by the government's lobbyists' registry.
I suggest that this seemingly innocuous free food event is merely the tip of the iceberg, designed to lull everybody into continuing their deep sleep while SM eats us alive, one day and one bite at a time.
Glenn Black
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada
supply manage needs to change or it will be done in the next round of trade talks.
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