Australian Trade Agreement Endanger US Dairy Farms

[RichZ]

Please read this link. This is a very serious threat to small family dairy farms in America.

http://www.nmpf.org/newsFlash/index.cfm?sectionsCode=PR&nfID=172

 

[DAP]

And I was trying to be less cynical this month. Thanks Rich. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[slowzuki]

Sounds like how the US is trying to force US imports on Canada via free trade even though the health standards aren't as high.

The US producers wouldn't be required to label use of BGH either despite it being transmitted to the milk.

I feel bad for the farmers, they always seem to lose.

 

[RichZ]

It's not only the farmers who loose!! There's a whole domino effect. They don't buy equipment, seed or feed, effecting farm supply businesses, they sell the farms which are then developed, etc., etc.

For example, it effects me even though I'm not a dairy farmer. We just started raising bred heiffers, if dairy farms go out, who do I sell them to?

This could have a large effect on the rural economy!!

 

[Knight9]

Rich,

I understand your concern, but without getting too political...I would assume that there is "more in it for the USA" than the government feels they may risk? Likely there will be a flood of US products into Australia that will do wonders for the US economy, but cause this same concern you have in the Australian goods producers.

Most of the time, governments don't do something unless they feel the overall good far outweighs the bad.

Also, if I'm reading all the current reports correctly, it would appear that sugar and dairy might be exclusions to the FTA.

Kevin

 

[RichZ]

Kevin, I also do not want to make this a political thread. From all that I've read on this, it seems that it is a payback for Australia participating in the war in Iraq. This agreement is not well thought out, and will do more harm to the USA than it will do good. In no way am I saying that the president intends this to do harm, but it will.

According to an analysis prepared by the National Milk Producers Federation, the surge in Australian dairy imports into the USA resulting from the trade agreement would force more than 1/4 of the nation's dairy farmers out of business. In addition, more than 10% of the 1.13 million jobs that are generated by milk production and processing actitvities in the USA would be lost.

No matter how well intentioned this trade agreement is, it is a bad idea.

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. is organizing a letter writing campaign to the president and congress to try to stop this agreement.

 

[daedong]

In reading this thread i have had to chuckle to myself. I am not involved in the dairy industry in any shape or form, but how big do you think it is in Australia, after all we only hit 20 million people last year, /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[fivestring]

That was my first thought.

My second thought was,
"Just how many milk-producing cows are there in Austrailia?"

My third thought was,
"Just how much milk are we talking about?"

 

[spencer200]

Your not talking about milk as much as you would be talking about, cheese, butter, and powdered milk, bringing fresh milk from there to here would not work out well I am sure. Having grown up on a 200 cow dairy I would think people would balk at fresh milk from austrailia. Milk is one of those food products that has a certain image.

 

[bcarter]

<font color="blue"> Your not talking about milk as much as you would be talking about, cheese, butter, and powdered milk, bringing fresh milk from there to here would not work out well I am sure. </font>

...and I would think that even that it isn't going to have much effect if these products are less expensive from local sources than from sources where they have to be shipped half-way around the world.

Now I have no idea how expensive it is to ship a pound of butter from Australia to my fridge, but I have to believe that its cheaper to ship it from VT... The question is can the Australian products be produced cheaply enough to offset the shipping expense.