The Quinte region produces a lot of food and drink.
The agriculture sector also relies heavily on foreign workers to help get it to market.
The Coronavirus is going to make that an agonizing process, unless things drastically change.
Local vineyard, orchard, and farm owners have just learned that the foreign workers who come back year after year, are not going to be allowed into the country.
Thompson says this is a problem.
Lanny Huff is the Owner of Huff Estates Winery in The County. He says foreign workers are time sensitive to the operations.
Huff says this is a major problem locally, provincially, and nationally.
Some people may ask, why not hire Canadians? The answer is not that simple.
Caroline Granger is the Owner of Grange of Prince Edward Winery. She says for the last 20 years anyone who answered a call to work locally got a shot. Granger says few if any ever returned after a day or two in the field. She says working in agriculture can be specialized and takes a lot of fitness.
She says this challenge will be difficult to overcome is they cannot get workers for the fields. The winery is one of the largest in Prince Edward County at close to 60 acres. She adds they are a breath away from typically having workers arrive, usually the first few days in April.
There is a Member of Parliament who is looking for workers to receive an exemption. Chatham-Kent member Dave Epp has sent a letter to the Prime Minister asking for food security to be taken into account during the outbreak, and the measures that have been put in place. He says food supply could be in jeopardy.
