The First Assembly Regarding Milk (F.A.R.M) Specialized Agency
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The First Assembly Regarding Milk (F.A.R.M) Specialized Agency Queen’s National Model United Nations 2021 1 First Assembly Regarding Milk (FARM) From the Secretary-General Dear Delegates, It is my privilege to welcome you to Queen’s National Model United Nations 2021! My name is Samuel Tobert, and it is my honour to serve as your Secretary-General for QNMUN 2021. Originally from Vancouver, B.C. I study Biochemistry, Political Science and Business at Queen’s University. Model UN has been an integral part of my High School and University careers, and through it, I have met some of my closest friends, made some of my fondest memories, and learned valuable skills, becoming a more engaged global citizen. I am so glad that you have chosen to join us for this year’s iteration of QNMUN, held virtually for the first time in our history. COVID-19 has brought many challenges to our community and has presented new obstacles to Model UN; however, I can confidently say that our team has been working tirelessly to deliver a high quality and engaging conference for you. If there is anything we can do to make our conference more accessible in its online format, please do not hesitate to reach out. With this year marking my 8th on the Model UN circuit, I reflect upon the many experiences that I have had in MUN. I can confidently say that Model UN is one of the most fulfilling activities I have had the privilege to participate in. It has made me a better speaker, a better problem solver and taught me so much about myself and the world we live in. From a small Crisis Committee negotiating the denuclearization of the Koreas to a 400-person General Assembly on improving the education of Women and Girls, I have found my love for MUN at conferences across North America. I hope that QNMUN will inspire all of you to learn more about how you can make a difference in the communities you are a part of and will inspire you to further pursue Model UN in the future! This year I am excited to announce that we have many resources available to you to help you prepare for the conference. In addition to this background guide and the delegate handbook, we will be hosting a drop-in mentorship session for all delegates Thursday, February 4th, in the afternoon and evening. There you can gain tips and tricks on debate and research and speak to Model UN veterans – I highly encourage all of you to attend! I would also encourage you to talk to your sponsor teachers about having your team join the QNMUN Mentorship Program. This program, taught by experienced University Model UN delegates, can help guide your Model UN team throughout the school year with material and mentorship, preparing you for conferences and teaching you essential Model UN skills. This year we have an incredible set of committees that I cannot wait for all of you to experience. From local representatives discussing Canadian Dairy Farming to Women of the Naval Auxiliary discussing Anti-Submarine Warfare in 1942, I am sure the committees you will find this year at QNMUN are like no other. Whatever committee you are in, and whether this is your first Model UN conference or if you are a veteran in your final year of High School, I hope you will thoroughly enjoy your time at QNMUN 2021! Best regards, Smauel Tobert Samuel tobert Secretary-General, QNMUN 2021 2 First Assembly Regarding Milk (FARM) From your Committee Director Greetings F.A.R.M.ers! My name is Benjamin Lohoar and I am a third-year economics student. I was born and raised around Saint John, New Brunswick. Besides Model U.N., I also serve as co-President of the Queen’s University Quiz Team and have transitioned from a competitive debater to judging high-school debate across North America. This is my first time directing a committee and I can only hope that you all have as much fun participating in it as I had creating it. My economics education pushed me towards the idea of designing a committee that had to do with markets and their manipulation. I wanted to combine this interest with my personal family history. I think it’s fair to say I come from a long line of dairy farmers and processors. My father’s family were dairy farmers in Scotland for generations, and later England during the Second World War. My mother’s grandfather ran a creamery in Nova Scotia that was an anchor of the community. The trademark was later purchased by Scotsburn: maybe some of you have seen Tatamagouche butter in the supermarket. — Moss, Megan. (2020). Tatamagouche Creamery Square Heritage Centre. Nova Scotia Tourism. A large co-op purchasing a local business is a microcosm of decades-long trends in the Canadian dairy industry. Companies and farms are becoming larger as demand for Canadian milk shrinks. I hope that delegates to this committee will learn to identify trends and how they might be arrested. I have also tried to contrast delegations that are directly at odds with each other’s interests with those whose interests can be aligned with the skilled negotiation I have no doubt you all possess. I can be reached at [email protected] for submission of position papers and with any questions, comments, concerns, and jokes. Thank you, Benjamin Lohoar Benjamin Lohoar Committee Director, QNMUN 2021 3 First Assembly Regarding Milk (FARM) Position Papers Position papers are an opportunity to gather your thoughts, prioritize issues, and begin planning for the committee before any debate opens. A position paper should be about one page in length, single-spaced, and in Times New Roman font. The format that will be easiest for you to write and for my partner and me on the Dias to read will be in three paragraphs. In the first paragraph, you should outline what your delegation feels are the most pressing or significant issues facing the committee. Also, include facts that you have found in your research that you think will prove highly relevant. In the second, I would like to see a preview of what your character will be arguing in committee. How is the organization that you are representing uniquely positioned to address the issues that you identified? In the third paragraph, you can present solutions to the problems that will benefit your delegation and ideas you would want to see in a successful resolution. Position papers can be sent to the email address included in the letter to delegates by 23:59EST on February 4th. All papers will be scanned for plagiarism so be sure to cite your sources. Make sure to use the third person and refer to yourself by the organization you are representing. For instance, you would say “the Dairy Council of the Maritimes believes” instead of “I believe” or “we believe.” Good luck! I have no doubt you are all the cream of the crop here at Q.N.M.U.N. 4 First Assembly Regarding Milk (FARM) The dairy industry is currently facing Background Guide several challenges. The percentage of Canadians descended from human populations The ability to digest milk sugar, or lactose, that do not traditionally consume milk increases beyond infancy is known to have developed in every year, as are rates of lactose intolerance. humans at four separate times. Human genes About 68% of people are lactose intolerant, are not passed on perfectly from parents to according to Britain’s National Health Service. children. In this case, a random genetic mutation This percentage can be as high as 90% in instructed the cells that line the small intestine certain populations, most notably Indigenous to continue to produce lactase into adulthood. peoples of North America. Dairy consumption Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down milk has declined consistently since 1980 . sugar. Those with these genes had another food source and were more likely to survive and reproduce. The most widespread group of people who possess this ability to digest milk in adulthood are descendants of northern Europe’s ancient Funnel Beaker culture. Their consumption of and dependence on goat, sheep, and cow’s milk is estimated to date back to 8000BCE. The other three unique mutations are found in Nilo-Saharan-speaking populations in east Africa. Other pastoral populations, such 5 as those of the central Asian steppes, have been As household incomes have risen in found to use strategies like cultivating bacteria Canada, other protein, vitamin D, and calcium- 1 to digest lactose . For instance, the Mongolian rich foods like meat have reduced milk’s people have a rich tradition of employing yeast importance in the Canadian diet. Plant-based to process lactose into alcohol before drinking dairy substitutes are exploding in popularity. 2 their traditional dairy beverages . When people Dairy products can be produced in Canada for without the genes to break down lactose drink low unit prices because of how we generate cow’s milk, they can suffer from unpleasant electricity, our nation’s geography, and strong digestive symptoms like nausea, flatulence, international trade protections. These facts diarrhea, and lack of appetite. drive down prices to the point that it became 1 Wade, N. (2006, December 11). Lactose Tolerance in East Africa Points to Recent Evolution. 2 Andrew Curry (2018, November 05). How can you eat dairy if you lack the gene for digesting it? 3 Neville, D. (2017, July 31). Lactose Intolerance: Millions of Americans Don’t Know They Have It.