International Trade committee  Yes, to add to what he was saying, any good stool or chair has four legs, and the supply management system has four pillars. The federal and provincial organizations within supply management worked alongside the previous government to come up with those compensation packages, transition packages, and certainly we would like to see the government implement those in the future as this agreement's ratified.

International Trade committee  I believe that within Ontario there are some different programs. There is some government funding available for grants for succession planning to help farms go through that. I do believe that in the next number of years you're going to see a number of farms transfer to a younger generation.

International Trade committee  That's something our federal and provincial bodies will work with government on, to assess the actual impact of products coming in. I believe it is a bit open: 3.25% is the percentage that was given out for dairy. We'd have to assess the financial impact to our industry and could possibly be looking for compensation if our industry is negatively affected by the trade deal.

International Trade committee  I would say that by the looks of the trade deal, it would have a negative impact on our industry, and we would likely look for some form of compensation to cover our losses.

International Trade committee  I guess any time you're dealing with a market the size of Asia or the trans-Pacific there's tremendous opportunity. As we know, grains and oilseeds travel very easily across oceans. Especially when you look at the conglomerate of counties within southwestern Ontario, which is a kind of breadbasket or heartland with soil and heat units that grow very diverse brands and types of grains and oilseeds, I believe there's tremendous potential.

International Trade committee  Specifically I'm a dairy farmer. I have some speaking notes on the poultry industry, but my expertise, or whatever amount I have, is in the dairy industry.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the committee and staff for taking your time and allowing us to speak today. I'm Kevin Forbes, the past-president of the Lambton Federation of Agriculture. I am currently operating our family farm, which is a 200 cow dairy. The Lambton Federation of Agriculture represents over 1,200 farm families across a very diverse array of industries, from cash crop, beef, pork, dairy and poultry, to dairy goat, sheep, alpacas, fruit orchards, vegetable crops, vineyards, wineries, greenhouse production, and maple syrup.