By Bruce Cochrane.
Canada's Minister of Agriculture says the key to helping farmers feed the world comes down to innovation backed by science and trade.
As part of Green Week Canada's Agriculture Minister travelled to Berlin for the meeting of G20 Agriculture Ministers and the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture and meet with representatives of some of Canada's key trading partners.
In a statement following those meeting, Lawrence MacAulay stressed the Government of Canada understands the value of international engagement and strengthening international ties for the benefit of farmers in Canada and around the world.
Lawrence MacAulay-Canada-Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food:
This week I announced an investment by the Government of Canada of one million dollars to support the international bodies that develop the standards for food safety and plant and animal health.
The lion's share of this investment will fund scientific and technical work supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN in its efforts to promote standards that are based on science.
This investment will also help maintain a fair and transparent trading environment.
That's great news for Canadian farmers, who export more than half of our production to almost two hundred countries around the world.
Here in Berlin, our formal discussions with ministers covered three key themes; agriculture and water as key to feeding the world, antimicrobial resistance in animals and humans and the critical need to share information and technology to give farmers the tools they need to grow production.
G20 Ministers signed a declaration to strengthen food and water security by fostering sustainability and advancing innovation.
Canada's message to ministers was clear.
The key to helping farmers feed the world comes down to two simple words, innovation and trade.
MacAulay says Canadian farmers have a great story to tell on sustainability and he made sure to deliver that story to his G20 colleagues.
Source: Farmscape