Premier John Horgan and Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, have issued the following statement in support of British Columbia’s dairy industry in light of ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations:

“As NAFTA negotiations continue, we want to reinforce that the B.C. government remains a steadfast advocate for more than 7,850 people working in B.C.’s dairy industry.

“With 479 licensed milk producers and 52 provincially licensed dairy plants, our industry accounts for almost 9% of the Canadian market.

“B.C. continues to stand behind Canada’s supply management system, which includes the dairy industry. We will keep working with our federal colleagues to help best protect B.C.’s dairy industry as these important and challenging negotiations continue.

“We thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her team, for their dedicated efforts to conclude negotiations that best protect Canadian interests.”