Finance committee  You were competing with the U.S. Farm Bill, and you couldn't sell.... I'm going to take a stab here, but you were selling barley for $80 a tonne, and you might have had to truck it to a terminal elevator out of your pocket too?

Finance committee  To answer the previous question, why do we have so many hogs? There were too many people who could make money in the hog industry buying grain at less than the cost of production. In Chinese production--not to pick on China--or in other countries, it was cheaper for them to raise the hogs by subsidized world grain and grow them.

Finance committee  Again, for most of the members, I think the original ask from the CPC was for $30 a hog. I believe, Mr. Menzies, you would likely have seen that. That was fair value. The way we derived our formula was that we extrapolated from the $30 a hog based on what we've been told. We work with members of Parliament in our area, who say, “Don't come to this government with a problem, come with a solution.”

Finance committee  Current reports are that pork prices around the world are far higher, using today's pricing, than in North America. We have very much been hurt in North America from H1N1. On the value of the industry as a whole, though, in Ontario I know that 80% of the pork produced within the province of Ontario...equivalent value is consumed.

Finance committee  I believe it will improve, yes.

Finance committee  Heaven help the family that depends on a farmer for support. Heaven help the nation that doesn't have that farmer to support it. Mr. Chairperson and committee members, my name is Andrew Frew, and I'm here as an individual. I'm a hog producer. I farm with family in Durham region.