Pacific Trade Alliance

[tubs]

if an oil company sets a price its is price fixing but when dairy farmers sets the price its----also price fixing which is totally illegal in the rest of the world

[Hopperbin]

Not exactly tubs. Japan has a 777.7 percent tarriff on imported rice. The farmers there would be devastated by a free trade agreement that would include agriculture. Most countries in the world protect their local food supplies with tarrifs. Agriculture should not be included in the trade agreement, creates too many problems. As a grain producer I am accustomed to the world supply and demand price, protected by rich a crop insurance scheme. Ag just needs to be left out of the trade agreements left up to individual countries to agree to between themselves.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/business/global/12yen.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

[BTO_farmall]

Excellent News. Theys have been Sticking it to Comedians fer far Too Long. Leave The Dairy Cow Guys out to Dry, NO BUYOUT. Bunch of Whiney Little ******* Anyway!!!!!!!!

[bduke]

Tubs... good point... problem is agriculture is marginally disciplined by the
WTO. Grandfathering prevails, shameful as it is.

Years ago I sat on a SAGIT.. Ag,Food, and Beverages.. and we were debating
the principles of supply management.

Stu Thiessen was the NFU rep and was extolling the virtues of SM.

I asked Stu how he could conscientiously defend a quota being of greater
value then the herd,flock, and production facilities combined.

He replied... and I quote.. "We haven't figured that out yet"!

Bill

[bduke]

Tubs... good point... problem is agriculture is marginally disciplined by the
WTO. Grandfathering prevails, shameful as it is.

Years ago I sat on a SAGIT.. Ag,Food, and Beverages.. and we were debating
the principles of supply management.

Stu Thiessen was the NFU rep and was extolling the virtues of SM.

I asked Stu how he could conscientiously defend a quota being of greater
value then the herd,flock, and production facilities combined.

He replied... and I quote.. "We haven't figured that out yet"!

Bill

[Hopperbin]

Good point Bduke, Never thought of it, the wealth gained by supply management may also be not earned wealth. So in a way could be taken away without a buy out.

[parsley]

Exactly. It is paper-only wealth, valued only by
it's "Approved " or "Denied" stamp.

Rather like a CWB licensing approval or denial.
You made the approved sale or ate the denied
sale.

Which many of us understand all too well. Pars

[ASRG]

Despite how we look at it the "quota" is real property, as defined by law.
You can't expropriate property without compensation(well... except in Alberta!).

Could the government do it through a "regulatory taking"? Yes they could....maybe? Probably would make one hell of a court case though?

When a government fails to respect property rights, we no longer live under "the rule of law"....we live under the whim of a man/oligarchy of men/women.

[parsley]

They can keep the quota paper for sure It
belongs to them Like real estate, it can be worth
a lot or worth nothing. When the border opens,
the worth is bound to change, tho.

[Hopperbin]

Did a farmer ever pay for the first quota that he recieved from the Gov't?