to extend patent protection," he says.

"A study by two of Canada's top academics on pharmaceutical policy concluded that Canadian payers such as the federal government, provincial governments, businesses and patients would face substantially higher drug costs, with the annual increase in costs likely to be approximately $2.8 billion per year."

The NFU and other food security advocates have concerns about intellectual property rights as they pertain to patented seed varieties.

Monsanto has already demonstrated its legal right under NAFTA to go after farmers for patent infringement. Perhaps the most high profile case was Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser, who was sued by Monsanto after its Roundup Ready strain of canola was found growing on his fields.

"Schmeiser has claimed all along that the Monsanto canola must have blown onto his field, ororganization that lobbies on behalf of dairy producers in Canada has sent its message to the government loud and clear.

Dairy (along with poultry and eggs) is a supply-managed market, which means domestic supply is controlled by federal and provincial marketing boards, and protected with very small import quotas and extremely high tariffs on anything that exceeds those quotas.

The E.U., a major producer of cheese, is pushing the Canadian government for increased access to this country's cheese markets under the new agreement.

It is also pushing to expand the number of products protected under its Geographic Indicator system, which would impact the industry by forbidding the marketing of Canadian-made cheese under names that indicate style originally developed in specific European regions, like mozzarella or feta, for example.

The Canadian government so