That's right. We've always criticized concentration in the marketplace and these intensive livestock operations that have really cheap imported labour. A lot of them aren't even owned by Canadian companies; they're owned by Tyson or Cargill. They're just finishing hogs here in Canada, and sometimes they're even shipping them over the border to be slaughtered in the U.S. It's made it very difficult in Canada to compete and has put a lot of small producers out of business.
In my own community some farmers have chosen to build intensive livestock barns on their farms and have been finishing hogs, and within two years they've gone bankrupt. They've walked away because their margins have been so tight. Basically what they've done is become labourers on their own farms. I think there may be two or three pork producers in my community left, and Mr. Lauzon would know some of them. It's really quite distressing to see these families with their incredible heritage and dignity, having been here for several generations, immigrants from Holland, basically on the edge of bailing out.
The tractor dealership in my community went bankrupt in the past two months. We've relied heavily on those industries and farmers to keep them viable. All we have left now keeping our community viable are small supply management farms in our community.
I would like to see less than three-quarters of all hogs in Canada being produced by three companies.