Canola tariffs hit hard as AgriStability program falls short: Sask Oilseeds

Mar 28, 2025

Saskatchewan farmers might not be getting the help they need after China slapped a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil.

Codie Nagy, vice-chair of Sask Oilseeds, said the federal government’s move to increase the cap on the AgriStability support program doesn’t go a long way to helping most farmers.

“It’s not the lifeline we’ve been waiting for,” he said during an appearance on the Evan Bray Show on Wednesday.

Part of the issue, Nagy explained, is that the program is “unpredictable.”

“The problem with the program is it’s so varied,” he said.

“It may have a benefit for one farm, but not a benefit at all for another.”

Nagy said there is also low uptake in the program, with only 30 per cent of farms registered for AgriStability, and the other 70 per cent receiving zero benefits unless they enrol before the end of April.

“It’s not a wide benefit for the agriculture sector,” he said.

Click here to see more...

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?