Celebrating food & farming
Matching egg production with market demand brings strong benefits for farmers and consumers alike
As Canadians sit down for Thanksgiving this year, most will likely give little thought to an everyday culinary staple that’s small in size but significant in its contribution to our physical and economic well-being: the humble egg.
“Looking back at the past 18 months when we all struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re proud to say that Canadians could always find eggs on the shelves,” says Tim Lambert, CEO of Egg Farmers of Canada, a national organization that represents more than 1,200 regulated egg farmers in all 10 provinces and in the Northwest Territories. “Eggs remain a very affordable, local, high-quality source of protein – one that is consistently and reliably accessible for all Canadians.”
The critical importance of reliable domestic food systems was underlined during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when grocery shelves were emptied out and consumers had to go from store to store looking for such pantry staples as flour, pasta and rice.
Canadian egg farmers, like Roger Pelissero, provide rural Canada with a strong support system and Canada overall with a competitive advantage. supplied
But, as Mr. Lambert pointed out, they could always find eggs. That’s because the country’s egg industry is built on an innovative system of supply management that’s unique to Canada.
This proven system matches egg production to consumer demand in each province, keeps egg imports at a certain, predictable level, and ensures Canadian farmers get a fair return for their labour and investment.
Supply management also ensures Canadians have a cost-effective food source that’s sustainable and reliable even during times of uncertainty, and that supports consumers, farmers and the communities that form part of the supply chain.
“Supply management gives us a huge amount of stability within the entire egg value chain – from farmers to graders to processors,” says Mr. Lambert. “Because of the pandemic, Canadians have realized the value of having strong domestic agriculture and having farming and production right across the country instead of concentrated only in certain pockets.”
What many Canadians may not realize, however, is just how much the country’s supply-managed egg industry contributes to the economy. Canadian farmers support more than 18,500 jobs across the country, deliver more than $308-million in tax revenues and account for $1.3-billion
of the country’s gross domestic product.
Furthermore, like a blue-chip investment that balances risk within a portfolio, supply management effectively mitigates the global and domestic market forces that can disrupt the country’s agriculture sector. It ensures stable, uninterrupted income that enables egg farmers to contribute to the economy by purchasing feed, equipment and services from local suppliers. This helps these businesses stay strong through economic fluctuations and ensures a robust and sustainable rural infrastructure, ready to meet the needs of export-focused farmers once global commodity prices go back to profitable levels.
That said, egg farming’s impact is expected to expand in the near future. Building on Canadians’ strong appetite for eggs – egg consumption has increased by 40 per cent in the last 14 years – Egg Farmers of Canada is now working to put even more eggs on the plates of Canadians, with a goal of at least 300 eggs a year per person.
There are also plans to grow new markets for Canadian eggs and egg products, as well as develop more innovative applications in areas ranging from agriculture to medicine.
“None of these advances would be possible without the system of supply management,” says Roger Pelissero, a second-generation egg farmer in the Township of West Lincoln in southwestern Ontario, whose two children have also joined the family business.
“Because of the pandemic, Canadians have realized the value of having strong domestic agriculture and having farming and production right across the country instead of concentrated only in certain pockets. ”
“It’s one of the strongest support systems for rural Canada,” he says. “As an egg farmer, I’ve always been paid a fair price for producing eggs, and because my business is thriving, I can in turn purchase from my local hardware store and my local car and tractor dealership, and I can hire local people to work on the farm.”
The stable income has also enabled Mr. Pelissero to invest in sustainable solutions for his farm – upgrading from regular light bulbs to fluorescents, and then to LED. The latter, says Mr. Pelissero, is not only more energy efficient but also better for his flock of more than 20,000 laying hens.
The Pelisseros also recently completed a retrofit of their housing systems to include high-efficiency motors as part of ongoing work to enhance sustainability and reduce the farm’s impact on the environment.
Beyond the positive impact on the physical environment, this stability resulting from supply management has also afforded Mr. Pelissero the opportunity to be actively involved in his region, supporting his local community – as many other local egg farmers across the country do – through food donations.
While COVID-19 vaccination levels in the country continue to rise, food security remains a concern for Canadians, many of whom will not easily forget the sight of empty grocery shelves. But thanks to the system of supply management, Canadians can rest assured they’ll always have access to affordable, high-quality food produced by egg farmers in their own communities.
As they finish their omelette or scrambled eggs, they can also take pride knowing they’re partaking in something that contributes significantly to the country’s economy and will be a key driver in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery.
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