Gyslain Loyer
By André Dumont
Features Business & Policy Farm Business“We have a good system – let’s defend it”
Passion for farming is not the only thing that drives Gyslain Loyer. He
cares just as much for the continuity and survival of the supply
management system that serves farmers well.
Passion for farming is not the only thing that drives Gyslain Loyer. He cares just as much for the continuity and survival of the supply management system that serves farmers well. That’s why he devotes much of his time to being the chair of both Canadian Hatching Egg Producers (CHEP) and his provincial producers’ association, the Syndicat des producteurs d’œufs d’incubation du Québec.
“Our predecessors have given us a good system. It’s a nice challenge to ensure it remains and improves.”
The defender. Gyslain Loyer is passionate about defending the supply management system, which he says serves farmers well. Photo by André Dumont
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Loyer started producing hatching eggs in 1988. Today, his farm union activities have become full-time responsibilities. With the help of a farm manager and several employees, he operates four locations, all in the vicinity of Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Quebec’s “poultry capital” northeast of Montreal.
“For me, it’s just as important to be involved with my union than to take care of my farm,” Loyer says. If, for example, the relationship with buyers came to deteriorate, the impact on his farm would be just as devastating as neglecting his hens’ well-being, he explains.
Furthermore, the impact on his farm would be even more devastating if producers like him didn’t make sure their interests are defended at all government levels, as well as in the hallways of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, Loyer says.
According to Loyer, WTO talks are currently the most significant threat to supply management. Lowering tariffs on hatching eggs would completely destabilize an industry that enjoys excellent relationships between producers, hatchers and buyers of day-old chicks, he says.
A bilateral agreement allows the Unites States to supply 20 per cent of hatching eggs used in Canada, Loyer says. Of all supply management productions, hatching eggs have the highest import threshold.
Do producers enjoy the support of their governments in defending supply management at WTO talks? Loyer believes so. “The federal government’s position is the same as ours. We go to Geneva together and we speak regularly to Canada’s chief negotiator.”
In Quebec, all governments support supply management, he says. After all, supply management productions represent about 40 per cent of the province’s farm income.
It’s in Canadian consumers’ interest that a large quantity of food is produced in their own country, Loyer says. “If tomorrow, the United Stated and Brazil are the ones feeding us, the economy of our regions will suffer and our farm buildings will start looking shabby. It’s worth consuming Canadian products, be it only for the social impact.”
The quality of imported products will never be better guaranteed than that of Canadian products, Loyer says. “We can set standards for imports, but how can we know if they are respected? I don’t think our government is going to send inspectors everywhere in Brazil and Argentina.”
The next generation
Loyer believes that to ensure supply management’s survival, it must be demonstrated that it can be profitable to others and not just existing well-established farmers. That is why his provincial hatching egg producers’ association has set up two programs to help young farmers.
“In Quebec, we have a good system, a good organization and good producers,” Loyer says. “I think that collectively, we are able to do things to help young farmers join the business.”
Started three years ago, the “Programme d’aide au démarrage pour la relève” is directed towards sons and daughters of existing quota holders. Candidates must be aged between 18 and 35, have their own hatching egg quota or 20 per cent of shares in a farm that holds quota. This year, three young farmers have qualified. They will receive a return of as much as $4,176 on their per-egg union contribution, for a maximum of $20,880 over 10 years.
The all-new “Programme pour l’établissement de nouveaux producteurs” is directed towards farmers seeking to start a new hatching egg production. Candidates must set up a business plan and confirm that none of their immediate family members hold either poultry or dairy quota.
The first candidate to be selected will start farming in 2011, with a free lifetime quota loan of 900,000 eggs per year, which represents approximately 6,000 hens. This first loan was made possible using a small share of quota from each of Quebec’s 40 hatching egg producers, Loyer says. The next loans will occur every three years, when the union will have a sufficient reserve of new quota.
Back in 1988, Loyer was starting a hatching egg production from scratch, buying a farm using all his savings for the down payment. He remembers the long work hours. “When you start a business, the effort you give must be 115 per cent. There is a gigantic amount of work to do before you can breathe easy.”
Today, his son Francis is showing interest in poultry farming. Perhaps he will reap the rewards of the efforts of his father, who has dedicated much of the last 15 years to farm unions.
To start farming is even more difficult now than it was 20 years ago, Loyer reckons. “We are aware that one of the problems is the cost of quota. Together, Quebec producers can share what they have and help new producers.”
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