On behalf of the Conseil de la transformation agroalimentaire et des produits de consommation, or CTAC, we want to thank you for inviting us today to present the position of our industry.
CTAC represents a consolidation of industry forces. Its members include the Association des manufacturiers de produits alimentaires du Québec, the Conseil de la boulangerie du Québec, the Association des abattoirs avicoles du Québec, the Conseil de l'industrie acéricole and the Association des viniculteurs négociants du Québec. CTAC represents more than 400 businesses with annual sales of $13 billion. For the industry as a whole, it's almost $20 billion. The food processing industry represents more than 70,000 direct jobs, and 125,000 indirect jobs in Quebec. For more than 85 per cent of agricultural production in Quebec, this industry constitutes the primary commercial channel.
I would now like to turn it over to my colleague, Christine Jean, who is our Technical Director.