Research publications

In Canada, supply management is a system that allows Canadian agricultural producers – specifically dairy, poultry and egg producers – to control the supply or quantity of their marketed products through marketing boards. To market their products, producers must hold a permit, commonly known as a “quota,” without which they cannot sell their products to a processing plant. This HillStudy traces the origins of supply management in Canada and describes its regulatory framework and the three pillars on which it is based: production control, price administration and import controls. It also briefly examines Canada’s trade commitments and provides a socio-economic overview of the agricultural sector under supply management.

Population and income growth are leading to an increasing demand for animal proteins. However, there are concerns related to the world’s capacity to meet that growing demand, as well as to the environmental and health effects of diets high in animal proteins. These factors have spurred interest in alternative protein sources such as plant-based, insect and cultured (or lab-grown) proteins. The different sources of protein mentioned in this HillStudy have their own advantages and drawbacks, as well as implications for Canadian government policies and programs pertaining to health, employment, innovation and the environment.