Agriculture committee  That's the question we're asking ourselves. It's a lucrative market, and one that is growing. It has really expanded this year. The United States has concluded negotiations which, from what we were able to observe, were difficult right up to the end, for both the Koreans and that the Americans.

Agriculture committee  In those negotiations, we first of all requested access to recognized quotas. The negotiations between Canada and Europe appear to be going well. They are always tough negotiations, but Canadian pork producers are demanding access to those export quotas. Europe has no restrictions on exports of its pork products to Canada.

Agriculture committee  Hedging is another tool that enables producers to secure their incomes for the year. For example, it can cover their grain purchases and pork sales. They have a margin. A problem arises when a producer works on contract. For example, when the price is $1.70 and the market forces it up to $1.80, the producer has to pay the difference.

Agriculture committee  It has to be acknowledged that businesses are growing from year to year. However, for all kinds of reasons, possibly including production costs in particular, programs are not adjusting to changes on the farms. Programs are not adjusting to changes on the farms or to the transformation of farming businesses.

Agriculture committee  First of all, organic products are important. As you say, there is a market. Consumers want access to those products. It's important to have access to them. I'm going to ask Ms. Scovil to describe those matters in detail. She is in a better position than I am to explain the specific characteristics of those programs.

Agriculture committee  Your analysis is important. Like you, we believe that the pie can't be made any bigger. Consequently, how do we generate more revenue for producers? Through the markets. The more access we have to lucrative markets in the pork industry, the more revenues will increase and the less government intervention there will be, hence the importance of markets such as Korea and the European Union—lucrative markets—and the domestic market.

Agriculture committee  When agricultural infrastructure and investment come up, there is too much talk about subsidies. In fact, the issue here is not subsidies for farmers, but rather subsidies to support the processors, retailers and all the other sectors surrounding producers. So when we ask the government to continue investing in infrastructure and investment programs, that's also to help us restructure.

Agriculture committee  Yes.

Agriculture committee  Yes. It is widely recognized that animal health is of increasing importance for trade, and we must address issues that threaten our trade-dependent Canadian pork industry. In conclusion, agriculture has no political colour. It is the colour of a Canada in which all political parties work to ensure that producers have incomes and are able to live from those incomes, with adequate support programs and investments that will continue to make the industry known for high-quality products both in and outside the country.

Agriculture committee  Good afternoon. My name is Jean-Guy Vincent. I am a hog producer from Sainte-Séraphine, Quebec, and first vice-chair of the Canadian Pork Council’s board of directors. My presentation will be in French. I would like to thank the members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for the invitation to appear before you this afternoon to discuss the Canadian hog industry, business risk management tools and Growing Forward II.

Agriculture committee  However, the Canadian Pork Council is also looking for supporting policies and programs at the federal level to enable us to hold our own in the international pork business. These include the following. Export market development support, including personnel in our embassies and programs that assist industry in breaking into new markets and projecting our Canadian quality image to consumers abroad, need to be comparable to those available to our competitors, such as the United States.