Agriculture committee  We could ask Saint-Amable’s producers to grow something else in their fields, but markets like corn, asparagus or squash, for example, are already cornered. An increase in supply of a good such as squash, for example, would have an impact on pricing, because the supply and deman

Agriculture committee  The Minister isn’t at fault, it’s the nematodes. Of course.

Agriculture committee  : I would like to add that the 80% of the region’s fields are infested. I think it’s a pipe dream to believe that there will be potatoes in Saint-Amable next year. Even if nematodes weren’t found in 20% of the fields, that doesn’t mean they won’t be there next year. The Agency wi

Agriculture committee  To cover all of the inventory and harvest in the Saint-Amable region, we are talking about a sum ranging from four to six million dollars.

Agriculture committee  We haven’t studied that yet, Mr. Arthur.

Agriculture committee  As the expression goes, the sky is the limit. In the very short-term, we think that we have to help producers and cover the 2006 harvest. That would require about four to six million dollars. With regard to the assessment of medium and long-term economic impacts, the impacts on t

Agriculture committee  To answer your specific question, I think that nematodes were discovered in Quebec, in the Saint-Amable region, in mid-July or so. Since the beginning, we knew that this discovery would have a significant economic impact on the affected producers. Two-and-a-half to three months

Agriculture committee  The parasite, the golden nematode, can live in the ground for 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. It is currently found in Newfoundland and on Vancouver Island. Tests have been conducted in the past in an attempt to eradicate the nematode, using Vapam or soil remediation techniques. Res

Agriculture committee  Under the current agreement between the United States and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, potatoes grown in fields that tested positive can only be sold in the processing market. As we mentioned earlier, 62% of all potatoes grown in the Saint-Amable region are intended for

Agriculture committee  Ladies and gentlemen, we thank the members of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food for receiving us. Let us speak of the role of the Fédération des producteurs de pommes de terre du Québec. The Fédération des producteurs de pommes de terre du Québec (FPPTQ), an af