Agriculture committee  We are told that because we produce a core product, we are going to pay, we should reduce our salary and work even harder because people want something else. My message is the following: all Canadian producers raise their animals well, but if people want change, we have to be giv

Agriculture committee  Did they ask producers what they thought of this? In their notice, did they tell producers that they were going to pay them more?

Agriculture committee  The members of the committee belong to various parties. In the past, all of the members worked together to improve agriculture. I hope that that is what we are going to do today. The government can go forward. If in addition, it has the support of the opposition... We are caught

Agriculture committee  I don't know if we can link consumption to production methods. I am not sure that the two are related. However, I think that we are already working together, under the code of practice. This involves several organizations sitting down together around the same table. You say tha

Agriculture committee  This is a very delicate topic. You are asking the right questions. I will try to give you the right answers, insofar as producers are concerned. I will not hide from you the fact that producers are concerned about this push for change. They are considering it and wondering how t

Agriculture committee  Agriculture is changing and producers are adapting. However, a lot of information of all types is circulating today and producers get caught up in that. Agricultural producers, pork producers, are asking themselves questions. They raise their animals well, take care of them, and

Agriculture committee  We want to meet consumers' needs. They are the ones who have requirements. You were alluding to groups, but there are many in society. For all sorts of reasons, large companies indicate the direction they want us to go in. For our part, we want our animals to be raised in good c

Agriculture committee  As we know, Europe can export its products freely to the Canadian market; it has full access. Of course we would like to see Canada have full access to the European Union markets in order to export pork to them. As for the negotiations, you referred mostly to volume. There are d

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My presentation will be in French. Good afternoon, my name is Jean-Guy Vincent. I am Chair of the Canadian Pork Council. I am a hog producer from Sainte-Séraphine, Quebec, and Chair of the Canadian Pork Council's Board of Directors. I produce over 25,000 h

International Trade committee  I believe that the high quality standards are ensured by the quality assurance program. It has been implemented, we have books of specifications at the farm. We understand clearly that at a time when governments are battling deficits, they wish to reduce their expenses. I would

International Trade committee  First, it affects employment and the Canadian industry, of course. There is pork production in nine provinces. There are two major processors, namely Maple Leaf and Olymel, and they are located in various provinces. From an economic point of view, the pork sector is quite signifi

International Trade committee  The rest is sold at lower prices. Even though our products are of a higher quality, only 28% of our production, that is, the share which is sold on the Japanese market, is paid what it is really worth. The rest sells for less than its real value. You have to understand one thing

International Trade committee  Yes. First, we have to agree to work from the same starting point and then add what Jacques has just talked about. It is extremely important that Canada be the first to sign a free trade agreement with Japan. That's the starting point. Efforts have already been undertaken in th

International Trade committee  Thank you for your question, to which I will respond in French. Japan has been a market for Canadian pork producers for a long time, that is, for over 40 years. Therefore, it is an important market. In fact, the Japanese pay more, which is why it is an important market for Canad

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning. I have been working as a hog producer for 40 years in Sainte-Séraphine, in the riding of Richmond—Arthabaska, and I am the chair of the Canadian Pork Council's board of directors. I therefore know the pork production industry very well. I