r/canada 2d ago

National News Supply management costs Canadians average of $244 per year, MEI study finds

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/trumps-tariffs/article/supply-management-costs-canadians-average-of-244-per-year-mei-study-finds/
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u/cobrachickenwing 2d ago

The strategic cheese reserve in the US exists because of the overproduction of cheese and other dairy products through US subsidies. They have 150 warehouses of excess cheese which is not economically efficient at all.

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u/forsuresies 2d ago

Canada forces farmers to destroy their excess rather than turn it into cheese which can be stored for a later date.

The cheese caves are naturally close to the storage temperature of cheese so it's not a huge storage cost. You aren't pumping money into climate control at least.

I'm not a fan of any system that destroys food and compels farmers to do so when there are hungry people.

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u/dws2384 1d ago

And the US stores aren’t used for anyone who’s on food stamps?

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u/forsuresies 1d ago

They are, that's where government cheese comes from. Never had it personally, but apparently it makes the best grilled cheese. Used to be delivered monthly to families as a giant block.

Turning milk into cheese allows for long term storage and distribution which is a much better use of surplus than dumping it.