It’s an estimated 1,200 farms. Losses will of course depend on how big the farm is, but they are significant for an average Canadian farm with around 90 cows. It’s greater than what the Maritime provinces produce combined.
As far as financial losses go, the three agreements together have resulted in the loss of nearly $450 million in gross income yearly, on a permanent basis.
That’s a colossal amount, and it’s no accident that we are looking at such high numbers. Our sector plays an important role in the country’s economy. Dairy products are still very much present in the diets of Canadians. When a government concedes nearly 10% of a market that large, the repercussions are going to be big.