Part of the debate about local food on Vancouver Island is always about people saying that in terms of fresh fruit and produce, grocery stores are in trouble after three days. For us, with the ferry service, that would be very much a reality.
One of the things we've seen in the last few years is a very rapid development of artisanal cheese makers on Vancouver Island. I think it probably first came to the attention of the rest of the country in, I think, 2011, when cheese makers from the Comox Valley, up island, and the Parksville-Qualicum area won the top three prizes in the Grand Prix cheese competitions.
One of the complaints I've heard on the island is that the orientation of Agriculture Canada is toward larger industrial production. My question for you is, how much of the research and innovation work being done is directed at support for more artisanal producers, who are producing for the high end of the cheese market?