OTTAWA -- This week's Annual General meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) - "Election 2015: Prioritizing Our Food System" - saw more than 130 food and farm leaders from across Canada gather in Ottawa to discuss the short and long-term needs of the agri-food sector.
Crop transportation, labour, business risk management and regulatory issues were the prominent priority areas. Farm leaders identified various advocacy goals for the coming year, including fast-tracking registration of generic fungicides so Canadian farmers could have access to more effective and cost-efficient products ; dedicating a portion of the grain cars each week to producer cars and short line railways so grain farmers have equitable access to a consistent supply of cars to meet their shipping needs; and if Canada introduces Country of Origin retaliatory tariffs, funding that is equivalent to the amount raised by the tariffs be provided to the impacted sector for research and market development initiatives.
The delegates also discussed the need to increase focus on succession planning and taxation issues affecting new entrants, which will be further explored at the CFA Board of Director's Meeting in April. The CFA had the opportunity to meet with the Canadian Young Farmers' Forum and will be working closely with them on these issues. CFA's analysis and research to date on the next agricultural policy framework was discussed at length. CFA will be undertaking an in-depth analysis on the program and policies needed. The CFA delegation adopted twenty-four resolutions that will be a part of the federation's 2015 mandate. A complete list of the resolutions will be available shortly atwww.cfafca.com
The CFA was pleased to welcome the various political leaders to its meeting. Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Hon. Gerry Ritz, attended the President's Reception, where he took questions from the floor pertaining to crop transportation, labour issues and animal welfare. The Minister also addressed Bill C-18, thanking the CFA for its support and noted a strong economic outlook for the sector based on the department's recent economic outlook release. Leader of the Official Opposition, Hon. Thomas Mulcair, spoke to the group about the grain situation in the West, noting its $8 billion cost to Canada and the work needed to rectify the situation, as well as the work his party has done to develop a national plan for Canada's farm and food future. The CFA delegates also heard from the Hon. Ralph Goodale,Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, who suggested better branding of Canadian products is needed to take proper advantage of trade deals and noted more public and curiosity based research is necessary for the growth of the sector.
The meeting featured an impressive line-up of high-profile, engaging speakers. The delegates heard federal election predictions from former Senior Parliamentary Editor at CBC Television News, Don Newman. Representatives from The Globe and Mail moderated a Farm to Table presentation series, inspired by a joint CFA- Food and Consumer Products of Canada project - farmtotablemagazine.com. Within this session, Andrew Goldstein, Director General, Strategic Policy Branch at AAFC, spoke about social license in the agri-food context and ways in which consumer perceptions shape social license and social media's role in garnering it. Earl Geddes , President at Progression Consulting, explored some of the major drivers of the global market in terms of population, economic and cultural shifts and the importance in knowing the right product to market and what markets will prove most profitable.
This was an election year for CFA. All Executive Officers were acclaimed and will serve another two year term. Ron Bonnett (Ontario) as CFA President; Humphrey Banack (Alberta) as 1st Vice-President; and Marcel Groleau (Quebec) as 2nd Vice-President. The CFA also welcomed nine new Board members and two new members - the Canadian Sheep Federation and the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance.
"It is our role and responsibility as the national farmers' organization to develop and advocate policies that will ensure a strong future for Canadian farmers and our country's food supply. At this meeting, we heard from farmers from across Canada and were given a clear mandate on critical policy priorities. We look forward to working towards results that will benefit farmers and taking advantage of opportunities to raise the profile of our sector, especially during an election year ," said CFA President Ron Bonnett.
Source: Canadian Federation of Agriculture