Mr. Speaker, what is absurd about this situation is that small farms have to abide by extremely strict production standards in terms of food safety and quality. Yet, large factories such as XL Foods lower the standards, reduce the number of inspectors and do not pay any attention to the quality of training given to agents. This is a terrible and unfortunate thing.
Farmers want to produce quality food and serve their communities well. These people are being asked to take on an enormous burden. The NDP will continue to stand up for them and to do what it takes to protect our family farms.