Trucking and transportation system vital to food value chain

By Mark Reusser, Vice President, OFA

To The Haldimand Press

Our distribution network is one of the keys to keeping our agri-food system functioning in normal and extraordinary times, and we rely heavily on the trucking and transportation industry to make that happen. The trucking and transportation system is entrenched in the strength, safety, and viability of our entire food value chain.

The federal government has acknowledged the important role trucking and transportation plays in maintaining our food system by deeming commercial truck drivers as essential workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. As farmers, and the foundation of our farm-to-fork value chain, we rely on truck drivers for a wide range of goods and services, from farm inputs, equipment, and commodities vital to crop production, through to the delivery of livestock and poultry, and ultimately the distribution of essential food products.