Mr. Speaker, pork producers are selling hogs for about half the cost of production, with a huge oversupply in the marketplace, with weak demand and foreign subsidies further distorting the market.
It is a complex problem with no easy answers. Indeed, during hearings at the agriculture committee, five presenters will have five different solutions.
As many farmers in my riding have told me, they want an equitable arrangement, which is fair across the country, that does not just bailout bad business practices but fully recognizes the devastating price drop. Our safety net system is designed to address the normal fluctuations in market income. It cannot address a market crisis of this dimension.
We urge the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, with his provincial colleagues and the producers, to help the industry through this current crisis while being sensitive to the Canadian taxpayer.