Rail shutdown impacting Quebec food producers

Rail strike threatens Quebec's harvest The ongoing rail strike jeopardises Quebec's harvest season and threatens farmers' livelihoods and food prices.

Quebec food producers are facing a new challenge due to the ongoing rail stoppage, which is preventing them from getting their products in and out of the country.

"After trucking, rails is the second most important way to transport vegetables, all around North America," said Patrice Leger-Bourgoin from the Quebec Vegetable Growers Association in a recent interview.

The Quebec Vegetable Growers Association is among many groups urging both sides of the strike to reach a quick resolution because, as Leger-Bourgoin noted, "time is money."

"We are having discussions with the federal government. Their government is very sensitive to this situation, and we are hoping they will take the right decision in order to preserve the country's food resilience," he said.

Food distribution expert Sylvain Charlebois says the strike has already been devastating for grain farmers.

"This uncertainty, this time of year, specifically during harvest is cruel for our farmers," Charlebois said.

Charlebois says there aren't enough trucks on the road to haul that amount of grain.

"CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) is responsible for transporting about 685,000 metric tons of grain per week right now,' he said.

"Normally, at this time of year, they are very busy hauling grain. If you actually consider that the shutdown started on Thursday and continues through Monday, we do not expect CPKC to resume operations before then."

Delays in the supply chains also impact prices for farmers and the quality of the product.  That means the real cost of the dispute could come further down the line at the grocery checkout.

"Eventually prices will be impacted as soon as you go from rail to wheels, it increases the cost for everything, including food," Charlebois said.

Leger-Bourgoin says they're not just worried about this season but how the dispute could impact the next one.

"If we have to deal with a strike and, in the fall, around, late October or early November, it means that it's going to be very tough to even have raw materials for the next season," he said.