Yes, thanks.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the standing committee, members of the community.
My name is Bill Woods, and I'm here today as chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario, representing Ontario's 1,100 chicken farmers.
Our industry is valued at over half a billion dollars at the farm gate, is a strong contributor to Ontario's rural economy, and is also directly responsible for over 5,000 jobs and for thousands of additional spinoff jobs.
Similar to what my colleague at the table said about the dairy industry, eggs and turkey and chicken are produced under a marketing system known as supply management, a system that ensures an efficient and secure food supply that respects Canada's high standards for sanitation and health while benefiting both consumers and producers. Nationally worth more than $7 billion of Canada's $36 billion in agriculture revenue, supply-managed agriculture is a major contributor to our economy, employing 215,000 Canadians and totalling over 20% of Canada's agriculture sector. In Ontario, the supply-managed sector generates $2.2 billion in farm cash receipts, or 28% of the province's total. There are many additional benefits. Consumers eat safe, high-quality, grown-in-Ontario food. Producers enjoy a stable income. Processors have an assured and stable supply. And government shares in our success, through income tax and consumption tax revenues.
Our message today is simple: supply management is an important component of Canadian agriculture. Therefore, chicken farmers of Ontario, along with dairy, poultry, and egg industries, are seeking proper recognition of supply management and its three pillars, as a program within the APF business risk management pillar and as a focus of domestic policy development under the market development trade pillar.
Under business risk management, Mr. Chairman, we believe that supply management, including its three pillars of producer pricing, production discipline, and import controls, must be clearly defined as a program, as it is in fact an effective system of business risk management, one that fosters prosperity and renewal.
Under market development and trade, most of Canada's food production is actually produced and consumed domestically. Three-quarters of what our farmers produce, whether within the supply management system or not, is sold within the country's borders. Ninety-seven percent of the output of the five supply-managed sectors is sold domestically, which means that both Canada's consumers and its producers are the beneficiaries, as prices are stable and the quality of food on Canadian tables is the highest possible. Further, the bulk of revenue from Canada's agriculture and agrifood production, over 70%, comes from the domestic market.
Therefore, we respectfully suggest that the APF recognize the importance of our domestic market, including supply-managed industries, for the long-term health of Canada's agriculture and our agrifood sector. Doing so could and should be done within the framework of international trade agreements, which, while they give us certain obligations, also afford us certain rights, which we should not be shy about exercising in support of our domestic policy objectives. For example, while Canada has the right to use safeguard measures such as article 28 under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, unlike the European Union, Canada has chosen not to do so.
Under the food safety, food quality, and resource protection pillar, Ontario's chicken industry continues to be profitable because consumers have confidence in the safety and quality of our product. Ensuring continued consumer confidence is key, which is why we have invested in on-farm food safety, bio-security, and animal care programs.
We are part of a progressive national program called Safe, Safer, Safest. The development of national on-farm food safety, bio-security, animal care, and traceability programs is crucial to managing business risk and ensuring the long-term health of our industry. In conjunction with the federal and provincial governments, and along with the rest of the farmed-animal industries, we are seeking to develop a national animal health strategy that would encompass financial risk management, research, animal care, disease management, surveillance of the laboratory network, identification and traceability, regulated products, bio-security, and funding support for the National Farm Animal Care Council.
Chicken Farmers of Ontario believes that a comprehensive animal health strategy should be incorporated into the APF, but in order to ensure that our industry continues to enjoy customers' confidence, we also believe that governments must ensure that the same high-quality safety and animal care standards are required for products that are imported into Canada.
In conclusion, in order for the APF-2 to promote growth and strengthen the profitability of Ontario's chicken farmers, it must do the following:
First, it must recognize and protect supply management and its three pillars as a legitimate and effective business model in domestic policy development.
Second, it should balance the needs of Canada's domestic supply-managed industries with those of export producers in negotiating international agreements and in fully exercising Canada's rights under these agreements.
Third, it should ensure consumers' confidence in the integrity of our food supply through progressive food quality, safety, and animal care programs—standards that are also applied to food coming into Canada.
Thank you for your time.