Egg Farmers of Canada react to the 2019 Federal Budget

OTTAWA, March 19, 2019 – Egg Farmers of Canada is currently reviewing the impact of today’s budget announcement on the Canadian egg farming sector. While we are pleased to see the budget includes measures for Canadian poultry, egg and dairy farmers, the announcement is the same as the commitments that were announced following the initial 2015 Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and does not include measures to address the impact of Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

“With today’s announcement, the government has taken significant steps to recognize the challenges that farmers face as a result of trade agreements. It also recognizes the vital contributions of the supply-managed farming sector to the health and stability of Canada’s rural communities,” explains Roger Pelissero, Chairman of Egg Farmers of Canada. “Our farmers make a significant contribution to Canada’s food system, support jobs and other businesses in rural communities, and feed urban consumers’ appetite for locally produced food.”

The market access granted under both the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and CUSMA to the Canadian egg market will have a lasting impact on the livelihood of Canada’s more than 1,000 egg farm families for generations to come. The outcome of these recent trade agreements, in addition to requirements under the World Trade Organization rules, means foreign eggs can fill a total of 7% of current domestic production after the implementation period. That is the equivalent of the annual egg production from Atlantic Canada.

Additional time and analysis is required to evaluate today’s announcement. We are eager to continue this work with government officials through the Poultry Working Group and look forward to discussions on the long-term impacts of CUSMA on our sector.

About Egg Farmers of Canada

Now in its fifth decade as one of Canada’s leading agriculture organizations, Egg Farmers of Canada manages the national egg supply and promotes egg consumption while representing the interests of regulated egg producers from coast to coast. Visit eggfarmers.ca for more information.