Madam Chair, for weeks there have been growing concerns about maintaining our food processing capacity during a pandemic. There are emerging gaps in staffing and running processing plants. We are already at a critical junction, particularly here in Ontario. Ranchers and farmers have been asking for a temporary cattle set-aside program to effectively maintain marketing and feeding cattle. It worked during the BSE crisis.
Cargill just announced today that its facility in High River will be temporarily closing down because of a recent outbreak among its employees. It is responsible for 36% of Canada's beef processing. It is an enormous strain all down the line for producers, feeders and processors. This urgently reinforces the need for a set-aside program that producers and feeders have been calling for.
Will the Minister of Agriculture institute a temporary set-aside program for Canadian cattle producers?