Good day. I would like to thank you for welcoming me here today. I am very nervous, but I’will do my best. I would like to introduce you to my group.
My name is Philippe Gemme, farmer and spokesperson for AMA-Terre. AMA-Terre is made up of producers of various products. We manage a total of 3,000 acres of potato fields in the municipalities of Saint-Amable, Sainte-Julie, Saint-Marc-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, among others.
I am here to give you more information regarding the human drama taking place among producers in various sectors.
Each of us has to deal with the disastrous consequences of the discovery of this parasite every single day. I am weighing my words carefully. This discovery resulted in harsh emergency measures with which we have had to comply, which we have done with great diligence.
September 27, 2006 was one of the hardest days of my life. I had to announce to my region’s producers, while accompanied by Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada officers, that there would be a regulated area within Saint-Amable, that their lives would be turned upside-down and that our region’s economy would be severely affected.
But that’s not all. There are also extensive consequences on the youth who were here and ready to become the next generation of producers. Most of our children studied at the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire (ITA), where they underwent agricultural training. They were ready to take over our businesses. How can we tell them that their future is no longer here, in the fields where they grew up? How can we tell them that they will have to farm other crops, or even take up another profession altogether? How can we encourage them when their dreams are crumbling? All of these issues are bringing about economic constraints that will affect them more than others, both now and in the future.
Today, the region’s stores are full and none of these potatoes can be found on the consumer’s table. In addition, the golden nematode working group recommended the destruction of all remaining potatoes and financial compensation for producers for losses incurred as a result of this recommendation.
Some producers were forced to buy, with much consternation, potatoes from other regions in order to keep their food markets and their employees. We have had to suspend payments to various suppliers and financial institutions because of the obvious lack of liquidity. This is keeping us awake at night, because we take our commitments very seriously. We are here today to issue a distress call, an SOS. It is imperative that we survive what is going on right now.
Several producers have not sold anything since August, and debts are accumulating. The value of our land is plummeting and our sales are in free-fall, both for 2006 and for years to come. Our farms are threatened.
I would like to add something that I learned this morning. Approximately 80% of our land is currently infested with the parasite. On October 13, a minority of Quebec producers was unequivocally sacrificed in order to lift the US embargo. The Canadian government strongly negotiated these conditions so as to lift the USDA restrictions, while producers in Saint-Amable and the surrounding area were set aside in order to restart the Quebec economy, without negotiating short-term financial assistance.
This raises several questions. What will happen to the potato harvest in the coming years within the municipality targeted by the regulated area? What form of financial assistance will the affected producers receive in the short, medium and long term? Until now, no assistance has been offered by the federal or provincial governments and no ad hoc program has been put in place. The only program proposed was the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program, or CAIS, but it is not adapted, nor is it adaptable, to the current crisis. Lastly, we would remind you that the Plant Protection Act allows the minister to order compensation in the event of such a disaster.
To conclude, since last August, several producers have not sold anything. The value of our land is dropping, our markets are ruined, our sales are in free-fall and our farms are threatened.
We are facing a veritable disaster. Faces with this urgent situation, on behalf of AMA-Terre, we are counting on your immediate support and efficiency to provide assistance to the affected producers. We are asking you to act immediately to meet the growing needs of the producers affected by the ministerial order and included within the regulated area.
Sorry for my language, I am very nervous.