Your Opinion is in Season!

Ottawa, Ontario - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and provincial and territorial governments want to hear from Canadians and agriculture industry representatives to develop the next agricultural policy framework – Growing Forward 2.

The agriculture, agri-food and agri-based sector forms an essential and innovative part of Canada’s economy. Growing Forward 2 will build on the successes of the existing suite of programs and will leverage the ingenuity of farmers, processors and others in the sector to continue to generate economic growth.

To support the development of Growing Forward 2, Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) governments are engaging a broad range of stakeholders from across the agriculture value chain including farmers, processors, distributors, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to gain insights and to hear what they have to say about the future of the sector.

In order to reach Canadians across the country, an online engagement process has been launched where comments and feedback may be provided from any location with internet access. Engagement documents and an online feedback form are available at www.agr.gc.ca/growingforward2 until June 30, 2011. Click and have your say!

The first phase was launched in May 2010 with a series of national and regional workshops. More than 400 farm leaders and other value chain stakeholders shared their views on the long-term challenges and opportunities facing the sector. This phase builds on the progress made during the first round of session discussions and provides a forum to hear public and industry views and receive feedback on policy priorities.

For more information on the Growing Forward 2 engagement process or to participate online, please visit us at www.agr.gc.ca/growingforward2 or call 1 800 O-CANADA.

Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada