Protesting Mexican dairy farmers demand farm subsidies [or they'll migrate with their cows]

Canada.com ^ | 6-16-04

[SJackson]

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Roughly 100 Mexican dairy farmers, with cows in tow, protested in front of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Thursday, saying they will be forced to migrate to the United States with their cows if the Mexican government doesn't come up with subsidies to help them stay in business.

"We are asking for visas because our business is not profitable," said Martin Solis, of the National Alliance in Defence of Dairy Farmers.

"Underfunding is causing the dairy farmer great problems."

The alliance, made up of 80,000 small and medium-sized dairy farmers from central Mexico, has been demanding the Mexican government control milk prices to no avail, Solis said.

"In the United States, they protect their producers; they have a subsidy of $40 per cow and we don't even get that per person here," he said.

In Mexico, 40 per cent of the milk consumed is imported and the market is monopolized by a few large transnational milk businesses, Solis said.

[SJackson]

Ooops, title comment my bad, they want the subsidies from the Mexican Govt, or they'll migrate here.

Can the cows get drivers licenses in California?

[The Old Hoosier]

This is a testament to the destructive effects of our domestic farm subsidies. They should be angry.

[dufekin]

We should eliminate farm subsides and eliminate income taxes on farming operations and military compensation.

I'm sure that simple measure could reduce the size of the law by tens of thousands of pages.

[SJackson]

This is a testament to the destructive effects of our domestic farm subsidies. They should be angry.

Would those be the subsidies the Republican party was going to get rid of? Guess I haven't been paying attention.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

PmUb

[VOA]

I'm no expert on the big picture of agriculture...but I do know a (legal) Mexican national
I worked with said that the NAFTA/free trade changes had ravaged the business climate
for Mexican farms/ranches.

As for USA agricultural subsidies: have kept some of my relatives in new
cars, pickups and farm equipment for more than a few decades.
But for the US guvmint, they'd have long ago failed due to their ineptitude as farmers.

[The Old Hoosier]

Would those be the subsidies the Republican party was going to get rid of?

LOL! (Sigh.) They did try in the 90s.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

This is a testament to the destructive effects of our domestic farm subsidies. They should be angry.

How the hell do farmers in mexico get effected by our domestic subsidies ? by making our own milk we dont buy mexican milk ? or do we export milk to mexico because our milk is better and cheaper ?

And if they come here where the hell are they gona keep their cows ? you cant just walk across the border with cattle they get quarentined immediatly and the farmers go back to mexico crying their cattle were stolen !

[SJackson]

Well, you can look the relatives up here. Fun site to play around on. For example, I've found scores of people receiving subsidies in towns that haven't had a farm in 75 years. Want the subsidy, at least pick your butt up and move.

[SJackson]

Most of the US small farmers are close to subsistance living. The few I know make it with the husband or wife holding down a second job off the farm.

See the link in 11, you probably won't find them there.

[hattend]

Will the Mexicans be driving their short-horned, spotted elk over the US border during hunting season?

[VOA]

Well, you can look the relatives up here.

HOLY MOLEY!

You should have a "Check Cardiac Health Before Use" warning label on that link.

I found the two relatives that I had in mind.
One didn't collect a lot.
The other one, who is also "cleaning up" with waste disposal service
collected over a half-MILLION Dollars in that 1995-2002 time period.

As mentioned elsewhere on the thread, the one who might use the money isn't getting
much...the reverse is true of the one already pulling $$$ from other sources/work.

No wonder he's such a happy camper! Just another Sam Donaldson (the wool-subsidy fellar
and news guy)!

[freeangel]

Will the cows, at least, make an honest effort to learn english?

[SJackson]

Pick some urban areas, preferably affluent areas where there hasn't been a farm in a century.

I'd be OK with some subsidies for working, family farms, they're at a disadvantage (partly created by subsidies). But lots of these folk are investors. We shouldn't be subsidizing investments. Some urban zip codes you'll find them by the hundred. If that means land values go down, they can always sell them to the folk who are farming them in the first place.

[SJackson]

Will the cows, at least, make an honest effort to learn english?

Why?

[SJackson]

Will the Mexicans be driving their short-horned, spotted elk over the US border during hunting season?

OK, I'll bite, you spotted an elk with a small rack in Mexico?

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

An off topic thread, but interesting. I'll share a comment on the article I received by EMail.

..............

Is it just me or does anyone else find it absolutely amazing that the U.S. government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington, and determine exactly what that cow ate.

They can also track her calves right to their stalls, and tell you what kind of feed they ate.

But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around in their country, inlcuding people that are trying to blow up important structures in the U.S.

My solution is to give every illegal alien a cow as soon as they enter the country.

[SJackson]

Of interest for your list?