Quebec cheese producers want compensation for EU trade deal
Philippe Couillard downplays threat, says free trade would open up European markets to Quebec cheese
Quebecs dairy farmers say Premier Philippe Couillard is underestimating the threat posed to the provinces cheese industry by the influx of cheaper cheeses from Europe under a possible free-trade deal between Canada and the European Union.
Yesterday after a meeting with ambassadors, Couillard said that he didnt want this one issue to stand in the way Canadas inking the deal with the EU.
Couillard said Quebecs cheese production industry is strong and free-trade will give them access to the European market.
However, the president of Quebecs dairy producers federation worries that the provinces cheesemakers will have a hard time competing against European cheeses that are both cheaper and produced in far greater quantities.
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Europe produces 17 times more cheese than Quebec, BrunoLetendre says.
In order to compete, Letendre says Quebecs cheese producers need provincial funding to help them expand their production and increase the reach of their products through advertising.
Letendre says Couillard should be negotiating compensation for the province's cheese industry rather than minimizing the issue.