I recently spent 10 days in Ireland on a family trip, which, unsurprisingly to anyone who knows me, included time on farms and talking to farmers.
There’s a lot of talk about Canada increasing its ties to Europe, as our greatest trading partner, the United States, has become unpredictable at best and belligerent and imperial at worst in its trade relations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has moved Canada closer to the European Union to diversify Canada’s trade away from the U.S. That’s a good strategy.
There’s no place on the planet, other than the U.S., when it’s acting like a functioning capitalist and democratic state, with whom we share more history and values than Europe.
A friendlier posture toward Europe has led some to overenthusiastically suggest Canada should officially join the EU with its commitment to democracy, open trade, people movement and common currency. That would be a mistake.
Yes, we share much with Europe. I’m in Europe about once per year on average, with close family living there and for work. I’m very comfortable there.
However, Canada has always been a bridge between Europe and the U.S., not one, not the other, and that’s been a strength. We have freer markets and less regulation than Europe, but a more robust social safety net than the U.S.
I’m reminded when I’m in Europe that I’d be a frustrated businessperson and farmer if I had to follow their rules.
I spent a few days on my wife’s cousin’s farm in Ireland. They are a busy, modern farm, having lambed about 500 ewes in the previous month. They had more than 700 lambs running around in the many pastures they have in the hilly area south of Dublin. It is gorgeous countryside.
The view from a hill of the Irish countryside near Wicklow. Photo: John Greig
They also grow crops on the farm, including barley, wheat, hay and sometimes rapeseed.
I spent a great afternoon touring pastures and farms and the local co-op with my wife’s cousin’s husband. It brought me back to 30 years ago when I first visited the farm, and we did a similar tour.
Back then, I was shocked when I wondered about the fires that dotted the countryside and was told they were burning wheat stubble so that it wouldn’t catch in a plow. That doesn’t happen now, with EU restrictions clamping hard onto most interactions farmers have with their land.
Hedgerows can’t be trimmed until September. It’s illegal to take out a fence row to create a larger field without first creating another fence row somewhere else. Nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions restrictions are making some areas of farming difficult, especially for cattle farming. You can’t have fires to burn brush or anything else in Ireland.
Regulations continue to creep here in Canada, but when I visit Europe, I see where we don’t want to go.
Trade with Europe should be straightforward, but in many ways it isn’t, especially for agricultural products. The use of non-tariff barriers, particularly on beef, is concerning at a time when we are trying to work together. According to the Canadian Cattle Association, Canada exports one pound of beef to Europe for every 10 or more pounds it imports.
As long as the U.S. trends towards a belligerent trade partner and a destabilizing force for democracy, looking to Europe is natural for Canada, but avoiding their taxation and regulatory overreach should void any thought of joining the EU.
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