A Pontiac farmer took part in a large demonstration in Quebec City last week along with other members of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA). The demonstrators, numbering in the hundreds according to Radio-Canada, marched to the National Assembly ahead of the UPA’s annual general meeting.
CHIP 101.9 spoke with David Gillespie, a local UPA representative and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes farmer who made the trek across the province for the event. (Note: Gillespie also sits on CHIP 101.9’s board of directors.) He said that it was a way to demonstrate to members of the National Assembly the challenges facing Quebec’s farmers.
He added that one of the most important issues to this region is the aging demographics of farmers, and the difficulty for young people to enter the industry. At a recent meeting discussing Pontiac’s agricultural plan, it was noted that of the 325 farm operators in the region, 215 were over the age of 55 and just 20 were under the age of 30.
