We often lament that agriculture has literally dropped off the radar screen in terms of importance. The federal government claims to have an agricultural policy, but it is only a short-term solution focused on the issues of the day. We have been lurching from crisis to crisis for years. I believe that the positive impact of agriculture on the economy needs to be protected and enhanced through a well developed, sector driven, long-term plan.
Any long term plan for agriculture must include discussions on things such as the impact of new technologies, changing demographics, the role of exports and imports, plus the standards which have to be met for labour, environment, and food safety on both domestic and imported products. It must include plans for wise public investment in agricultural job creation, such as processing, as well as environmental initiatives such as paying farmers for providing stewardship of the environment.
When we look at some other jurisdictions, such as the United States and the European Union, we see governments showing long term support for agriculture. They are determined to protect their food sovereignty and plan accordingly. I’m not convinced that the same thing can be said for Canada. If we did give the same consideration to agriculture, we wouldn’t see the government pouring billions of stimulus dollars into the auto industry while seemingly disregarding the plight of our beleaguered hog sector.
A key requirement in a national plan is regional flexibility in programs, when appropriate. Agriculture in Ontario is vastly different than agriculture in P.E.I. or on the prairies. A national policy needs to recognize this flexibility so that farmers all across Canada can be reassured that there will be a place for them 20 to 30 years down the road. Such a plan needs to be developed with input from grassroots farmers.
Farmers and agribusiness need, and deserve to know, what the infrastructure that supports them will look like as they move forward with business decisions. Food production will remain a major component of Canadian agriculture, despite a recent emphasis on both innovation and new non-food products.
Whenever we have a change in government we tend to “throw out the baby with the bath water” and start over on planning for agriculture. Until we get the political will to develop and implement a long term agricultural policy that can outlast the government of the day, we will continue to lurch from crisis to crisis.
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Editor’s Note: Henry Stevens is President of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham,
Ontario and is archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org/index.html. CFFO is supported by 4,353 family farmers across Ontario.
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