The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade deal with 12 countries that include Canada, Japan, Mex-ico and the United States, will increase market access for turkey meat imports into Canada.
- The amount of turkey allowed into the country under TPP will increase by 3.5 million kilograms over five years.
- Access will then increase one percent over 13 years until it tops out at four million kg.
- Canada allows 5.59 million kg of turkey meat into the country, representing 3.7 percent of domestic consumption last year.
- Four million kg is a 71.2 percent increase over current import levels.
- Manitoba produced 12.2 million kg of turkey in 2014-15, which means four million kg represents 33 percent of annual Manitoba production, or 2.4 percent of Canadian production.
- However, 85 percent of imports are boneless-skinless breast meat, which means the actual value of imported product may be higher than 2.4 percent of Canadian production.
- The TPP access volume of four million kg may represent 4.5 percent of Canadian production.
- “To get one kg of boneless skinless breast meat, it takes the best part of four kg live weight turkey … so a kg of (imported) breast meat takes off Canadian farms four kg of live weight,” said Phil Boyd, executive director of Turkey Farmers of Canada.
- The federal government will provide $47 million to turkey farmers to compensate for the impact of the TPP.
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