Some experts say the proposed trade deal involving Canada and the European Union could cost dairy farmers over $150 million.
David Murray, a Perth County dairy producer, is pretty upset at the Canadian government, “I think the first emotion was anger, because it hits home. It's difficult to accept."
He says the impending trade deal, which will allow more European cheese into the country will cost him and his fellow milk-makers money.
“It’s an additional access of up to four per cent of our fine cheese market and over total milk is about 2.25 per cent of our quota, which is 2.25 per cent of my revenues at the end of the year I don’t have that to spend in my community."
At Monforte Dairy in Stratford, where they just won a provincial award for agricultural excellence, there is also concern that while it will offer more choice to cheese lovers, the trade deal is a step backwards for the local food movement.
Cheese maker Ruth Klahsen says if she was someone going into a grocery store who didn’t know the industry "I would probably choose to buy a really good French cheese over somebody who’s trying to figure out how to learn cheese-making in Ontario because it just makes sense pragmatically from a dollar point of view and also from a quality point of view…but I just think it's the right thing to do to support local industries."
The potential victory out of the deal is supposed to come for beef and pork producers who could gain as much as $900 million worth of exports to Europe.
Listowel-area pork producer Stewart Skinner says "Canadian pork producers are incredibly competitive and - to put it very bluntly – can outcompete the European pork producers. So at a high level it is positive, but without knowing the details it's incredibly hard to know what it’s going to mean for us here at the farm level."
Murray says he's not really concerned that this is the beginning of the end for Canada’s supply management system, which allows farmers to control the supply and price of their product.
But he knows it's on the table now, “There's a sense of fear involved as well about what may be coming next."
The deal still isn't done yet. Canada and Europe haven't officially signed it and all provinces and territories have to agree as well.
