Canadian dairy farmers a cornerstone of food security, says DFC president

‘The more Canada depends on imports, the more vulnerable Canadian families will be,’ says Dairy Farmers of Canada president David Wiens. / DFC PHOTO

In an op-ed published in The Hill Times, Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) president David Wiens defended Canada’s supply management system as vital to national food security and sovereignty.

“From coast to coast, dairy farmers work together to provide safe, high-quality milk every day,” Wiens wrote, calling supply management “a made-in-Canada solution” that ensures reliable, homegrown food.

He warned that “the more Canada depends on imports, the more vulnerable Canadian families will be” to global disruptions, emphasizing that “Canadian dairy is here to serve Canadians first.”

Wiens highlighted the sector’s environmental progress — noting that “the carbon footprint of a litre of Canadian milk is less than half that of the global average” — and its economic impact, — the sector supports 270,000 jobs and contributes $28 billion to GDP. He urged the federal government to continue resisting U.S. pressure for greater market access, arguing that “further concessions would put Canadian jobs, farms, and rural communities … on the line.”