In conclusion, our producers are doing what they can with the resources available to them. We have assumed increased costs associated with CQA, our industry's on-farm HACCP-based food safety program. We have a national identification and traceability system that will be implemented shortly. Our farmers have environmental farm plans for their operations. We produce the healthiest pigs in Canada and perhaps the world. We are partnering with our P.E.I. processor to grow pigs for specialty markets. And we are going broke.
Our farmers have been enrolled in the CAIS program and similar programs that were supposed to provide safety nets. After four years of depressed prices, it is apparent that the current mix of what we now call business risk management programs does not provide adequate coverage. In spite of all of these programs that were supposed to work, our farmers are going broke.
We can't blame our farmers, as we continue to grow the best food in the world. But the extra costs are crippling, and farmers are facing the grave reality that unless something changes very soon, we cannot continue to farm in Canada. We want to farm, but we need government to listen to what we are saying. Our government has to be truly competitive with the policies of other countries. We don't want much--just a level playing field--and we need you to find that for us.
Thank you.