Chicken Farmers Bring Message to Parliament Hill

OTTAWA, ON – This week, representatives from Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) joined chicken farmers from across the country to meet Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Senators in Ottawa as part of Chicken Farmers of Canada’s (CFC) federal advocacy meetings.

Participants brought a positive message of how Canadian chicken farmers are committed to continuing to meet the needs of Canadian consumers and were pleased to receive reaffirmation of support for supply management from members of all parties.

“Bringing the farm to Parliament Hill supports our advocacy initiatives on behalf of Canada’s 2,900 chicken farms,” said Tim Klompmaker, Chair of CFC and CFO Board Director for District 9. “We appreciate Ministers, MPs, and Senators making time to meet with farmers and discuss the issues that are important to our farms and the entire Canadian chicken sector.”

CFO representatives were pleased to meet with over 20 government officials from Ontario; providing updates on the impacts of recent trade agreements, how supply management supported resilience during COVID-19, and the collaborative and extraordinary effort Ontario’s feather boards and industry are undertaking to reduce the risk of spread of Avian Influenza.  

“The Federal government is a critical partner and stakeholder in Ontario’s chicken sector. Under supply management, farmers and the broader chicken supply chain are ensuring consumers can continue to count on the safe, healthy, locally-grown chicken they want and love,” said Murray Opsteen, Chair of CFO and CFO Board Director for District 6. “We were pleased to hear strong support for supply management from members of all parties and look forward to continuing to work with MPs of all political stripes to advance the interests of Ontario’s chicken farming families.”

Meetings included a strong message that absolutely no further market access should be granted in any future trade deals. Last year, the Federal government made good on their promise and implemented the Poultry and Egg On-Farm Investment Program (PEFIP) to mitigate the impacts of market access concessions included in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This week, chicken farmers encouraged the Federal government to move forward with mitigation to address market access concession granted through the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

“The market access that was provided under recent trade agreements will result in additional imports replacing Canadian-raised chicken,” said Rick Kaptein, CFC Board Director and CFO Board Director for District 2. “Canada has provided significant access to other countries and must not further erode our production under future trade negotiations. As witnessed over the last few years, domestic supply is key to domestic food security.”