Farmscape for July 23, 2018

Canada's Agriculture Minister says Canada is prepared to develop a response to the negative impact on Canadian farmers resulting from escalating tensions being created by trade actions initiated by the United States and the response of other nations to those actions.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has indicated plans, which he hopes will be ready by Labor Day, are being developed to help American farmers cope with the retaliatory import tariffs placed on their products in response to U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel.
Canada's Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay told reporters participating in a conference call, Friday following the annual meeting of federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture, while he is not prepared to speculate on what might or might not develop, there are provisions under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to respond.

Clip-Lawrence MacAulay-Canada-Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food:
Sonny Perdue visited Prince Edward island and we had a great discussion.
I have to say number one that Sonny Perdue and I have a good rapport.
He has certainly indicated that he was not here to destroy supply management and he is an open trader.
But the fact is we do not want tariffs.
All they do is hurt the farmer or industry in general.
We feel that tariffs are a detriment to the economy of our country and a detriment to trade.
We know that trade creates wealth.
We believe in open trade and that's what we support and promote in Canada and around the world.
I have to admit that the secretary of Agriculture is a very open trader himself.

MacAulay says the matter of trade was an important point of discussion during last week's agricultural ministers meeting.
He says he isn't willing to speculate on problems that might develop but, he says, if problems do develop they will be dealt with.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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