Ontario sugar beet growers say a new trade pact will not hurt their market in the United States and could even help them.
The Chair of the Ontario Sugar Beet Growers Association Mark Lumley says the American ban on imported sugar from cane will continue and the beet growers hope to get Canada to do the same.
"The idea would be to start to re-formulate a sugar policy here in Canada that would protect our industry against some non-TPP countries imports," he says. "It would be nice if there were some barriers that were in place and the dumping is stopped."
Lumley says the sugar sold in Canadian stores is dumped at less than the cost of production so he sees nothing wrong with protective barriers.
The sugar beets that are grown locally are processed in Michigan and the sugar sold in the higher priced U.S. market.
