Demand dwarfed the quota on offer.
Ontario held a dairy quota sale in October 2026. Buyers asked for 24,642.38 units. They got 64.26 units. That is about 0.26% of the amount sought. [3]
Report · Published
Let new farmers in.
Food must be safe. The right to make it should not be a scarce asset that farmers must buy.
What we found
A unit means a right to produce.
One unit is the right to produce one kilogram of milk fat each day. It is not a cow or a litre of milk. [4]
Our case for change
End farm quotas in fair steps. Give new farms a way in, keep food safe, and help current farmers through the change.
First, buy the right to farm.
Canada limits output in dairy, chicken, turkey and eggs through quota rules. Farmers buy rights to produce. Small-farm exemptions vary. Import limits help hold the system in place. Goods above an import quota face a higher tax rate.
Land, barns, feed and skill are not enough. A farmer must also get room under the quota rules. That can hold back a new farm or one that wants to grow.
[1][2]Look at one real exchange.
Ontario caps the exchange price at $24,000 per quota unit. In October 2026, buyers asked for 24,642.38 units. The exchange issued 64.26. That is about one quarter of one per cent of the amount sought.
All 1,777 buyers received some quota. So 0.26% is a share of the amount sought, not the share of farmers who got any. One new farmer in an aid scheme received 30 units. These details matter: a tiny share can still count as a successful bid.
[3][4]Let more people make food.
Jon Lomow’s Build Canada memo calls for more food production. We share that goal. New Canadian farms and imported food should both be able to compete. We do not adopt targets that aim to replace imports.
The next test is simple: can a new farmer meet the food safety rules and start to sell? A right to make food should not depend on buying a scarce slot from someone who got there first.
[5]The strongest challenge to our case
Quota rules aim to give farms steady prices and income. Farmers have borrowed against quota and planned their lives around it. A sudden end could wipe out savings and put farms at risk. That is a reason for a fair, planned change. It is not a reason to keep new farmers out for good.
[1]What we want changed
Set a path out of quotas.
Farm ministers across Canada should set dates to let more farms and imports in. Keep rules for safe food and healthy animals.
Price a fair change.
Publish the cost of aid for current farmers before choosing a plan. Show who pays, who gets help, and when it ends.
Who can act
Farm ministers, trade officials and farm boards share control. Some rules are federal. Some belong to each province. All must work together.
What this could cost the public
A fair quota phase-out may need public aid. We have not set a price or chosen a plan. Show the cost, who pays and who gets help first.
A tiny share of the quota sought was issued.
Ontario dairy quota exchange, October 2026. Buyers received about 0.26% of the amount they sought.
Kilograms of milk fat per day · October 2026 exchange; summary dated October 2, 2026
One exchange in one province. All 1,777 buyers received some quota. The 0.26% share measures quantity, not the share of farmers approved. One assisted new entrant received 30 kg/day.
Check the sources: Quota exchange — October 2026 · Quota and Milk Transportation Policies
Check the sources
Source title in English
WAKE UP CANADA
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Food must be safe. The right to make it should not be a scarce asset that farmers must buy.
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What this does not show: This is one sale in one province. We do not yet know what quotas add to food bills, what all quotas are worth, or what a fair change would cost.
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