If you talk to dairy stakeholders, they are concerned about the impact of the various trade agreements we've entered into, providing additional market access for 17,000 or 17,700 tonnes of cheese. Clearly that has cheese producers concerned. It has the people who supply milk to cheese producers concerned.
The relatively small market access that was granted under the Trans-Pacific Partnership is also of concern to the industry, although in our consultations, the issue that Madame Brosseau raised is probably more acute than the market share issues arising from greater market access and greater quota access under TPP. The government understands that and is paying attention to it.
One source of concern is the ability of our farmers to compete with imports. That said, we think there's considerable opportunity for productivity enhancements in the supply-managed sectors. Supply-managed industries can generate a considerable amount of money for research and development. Economies of scale could be taken advantage of. As I mentioned, one milking machine can handle what a normal or average farm is doing these days.
I think there are also underappreciated opportunities in the areas of artisanal cheese and niche or specialty cheese products. Yes, it's a small business right now, but European cheeses didn't start as global-dominant brands. They grew from small businesses with artisanal cheese associated with particular geographic regions. There's no reason Canada can't build on our own advantages in that respect, to build product built on quality and reputation as opposed to simply cost advantage.