Prime farmland disappearing under development across Canada
Canada’s limited amount of prime farmland is disappearing under subdivisions and strip malls, risking the country’s ability to feed itself, say experts. “Ensuring that we hang on to our agricultural land is really key,” said Abra Brynne, a researcher with Food Secure Canada an umbrella organization for dozens of food banks, growers and community […]
Climate crisis threatens Canadian agriculture, we need an agricultural adaptation plan, now
Canada’s agricultural production is under threat as never before, but the Harper government is deaf, dumb, and blind to the threat. The threat is the climate crisis. Even if global emissions of greenhouse gases were to be stabilized tomorrow, we would face decades of destabilized climate conditions. However, there is no sign of current […]
Five years since the Weatherill report, feds haven’t moved on key recommendation
From field to fork, our food goes through a lot and it is often not until a major crisis that Canadians consider just how much faith they place in our food safety system. Canadians care deeply where their food comes from—but trust that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Public […]
Can our farmers afford us?
The number of young farmers under the age of 35 has dropped by a staggering 70 per cent since 1988 and the current average age of a farmer is 55 years of age or older. In the next 15 years, we will face a renewal crisis in agriculture as fewer young people take up […]
Strong farm incomes and international trade bolstering optimism in agriculture
There is an unmistakable optimism in Canadian agriculture today. This optimism is rooted in the realities of the sector’s performance in recent years and our government’s expanded focus on leveraging investment in science and innovation to ensure the upward swing of Canadian agriculture continues strong into the future. Last year, Canada’s hardworking producers and […]
Organic farmers, opposition ask feds to stall genetically-modified alfalfa sales
Organic farmers are calling on the federal government to put the brakes on the commercial sale of genetically-modified alfalfa seed in Canada, but both the Canadian Seed Trade Association and the company applying to register herbicide resistant strains of the crop deny there’s any risk of the product eventually overtaking organically grown crops. The debate […]
House Agriculture Committee has lots on the menu
The Canadian agriculture and food industry generates close to $50-billion of our country’s exports, over eight per cent of our GDP, over $90-billion in food and beverage sales and $12.6-billion of our balance of trade. Those dollars help generate one in every eight jobs in Canada. As well as representing the hardworking constituents in […]
Why Agriculture Minister Ritz is still top-lobbied minister in Cabinet
In the first quarter of 2013, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz remains the top-lobbied minister, according to the Office of the Lobbying Commissioner’s monthly communications report. Mr. Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.), who was the top lobbied minister for 2012, also met with registered lobbyists 31 times since Jan. 1 to discuss issues such as international trade, environment, […]
Red tape stressing out farmers, distracting from business
Red tape is stressing out farmers and deterring them from growing their businesses at a time when the sector needs to innovate, say experts. “We get hundreds of comments from our members, and what they reveal is farmers’ frustrations with regulators who often don’t understand the challenges of running a farm,” said Marilyn Braun-Pollon, […]
Canada-European trade deal could take two years to put in place, says trade expert
Canadian farmers may have to wait at least two years before they begin to see any benefits—or challenges—from a trade deal with the European Union, says former federal international trade negotiator Peter Clark. The European Union’s own protective policies on agricultural imports and the various agriculture interests of the 27-member bloc are only a […]
