Agriculture issues will be up for discussion in Chesley this evening as the Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter speaks to local Grey Bruce farm leaders.
Easter’s visit comes as both the beef and pork sector are reeling from having to deal with the US Country of Origin Labelling which as resulted in depressed prices and demand for their product.
Easter says he cannot understand why the federal government has not acted quickly to challenge COOL under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization.
Easter says the pork industry is in very serious trouble and the only action from Ottawa is to offer the already over extended producers more loans.
He says the federal government has to recognize just how important the agricultural sector is to the Canadian economy and begin to give it the same level of attention is now is giving to the ailing auto sector.
Easter says in Ontario, agriculture is the second most important industry and is quickly moving to become number one as far as economic activity is concerned, despite the financial trouble many producers are in.
He says the next federal election campaign will be looking at the so called urban and rural divide and how the same opportunities that exist in cities and towns can be extended to the rural areas of the country.
Wayne Easter will be speaking at the Chesley Co Op Mill banquet room this evening starting at 7.30 PM.
