First, I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me here. When I first got the invitation, I wasn't quite sure why anybody would want to hear what I have to say. I'm just a farmer. I'm not a lobbyist. I'm not an expert in any field other than raising turkeys.
I'd like to thank all the committee members for the time they put in. I know that your jobs are very difficult. The work on this agreement has been very difficult, and it has been for many years.
I'm a fourth-generation farmer, fourth-generation Canadian. My family started in Surrey in 1891. We continue to farm. The fifth generation is at this moment wanting to take over the farm. We started in dairy. We suffered the ups and downs of an unregulated industry. My great-grandfather saw it stabilize through supply management. My father in his sixties went on his own. He started a turkey farm and was part of the group that started the supply-managed sector for turkey in B.C. We've seen the ups and downs. This industry is important.
I know that the gentleman to my left is not going to agree with everything I have to say.
This is like death by a thousand cuts. First we had the TPP. In those negotiations on turkey, we gave up our growth for 12 years. Now we have the CUSMA, which gives up more growth. It's developing an unstable environment for our industry to continue in this province. I don't think enough consideration has been given to the effects of this on our industry. First, it's a fact that for every kilo of breast meat imported into Canada, we lose four kilos of farm gate production—four kilos of production through the processing plants. We just shipped a flock of turkeys. I did the math, and we're back to 1980 to 1990 prices, yet we're paying the expenses of 2020. Without a stable, secure marketplace for our poultry, it will be impossible for the next generation to pick up and take over from where we will leave off. This will end my family's history, in Surrey, of farming.
I know it's difficult, but we need to find a way. This agreement will be ratified. We all know that. We're not kidding ourselves. We need the government to negotiate compensation for the turkey industry as they have negotiated for the dairy industry. We need some form of stabilization for the farmers. We also need funding put aside for market development so that we can regain market share against our competitors.
I know this is about free trade, and I support free trade. There are segments of agriculture that will benefit hugely by the three agreements we've already signed, but the supply-managed industry supplies Canada. We cannot supply the U.S. with Canadian product, because we'd be entering a subsidized market and our product just would not be competitive. We can't sustain any further cuts to our bottom line, our revenue. It's imperative, if we're going to sign this agreement, that there's support to continue the industry. The supply-managed industry is very important to Canadian agriculture. It supplies the critical mass that sustains the infrastructure for all the rest of agriculture to compete and exist.
With that, I'll cede my time to the gentleman to my left.