International trade, transportation, climate change, mental health and government programs emerged as priorities during the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) 2018 Annual General Meeting, held in Ottawa last week. CFA members heard keynote speeches and participated in discussions centred on the theme "Partnering for Success."
"Farmers in all parts of Canada recognize that by building on each other's strengths, we can not only meet the challenges we face today, but lay the foundation for an even more resilient sector going forward," said Ron Bonnett, CFA President.
During his opening keynote, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay highlighted the productive relationship between farm organizations and governments, particularly on rapidly evolving issues such as international trade. He also spoke about new programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and current research initiatives. Farm leaders also heard from Agriculture and Agri-Food Deputy Minister Chris Forbes, who gave an update of the Business Risk Management programs review process.
Delegates received an overview of international trade negotiations from Frédéric Seppey, Canada's Chief Agricultural Negotiator, and explored economic opportunities during a panel discussion featuring Murad Al-Katib, Chair of the National Agri-Food Economic Strategy Table, and Craig Klemmer, Senior Agricultural Economist with Farm Credit Canada.
CFA members passed 42 resolutions that will guide its advocacy efforts in the coming year. This year's resolutions cover a range of areas, including: trade, business risk management, transportation, tax policy, sustainability, crop protection, labour, animal health, rural infrastructure and other topics.
Among the other AGM speakers were John Barlow and Luc Berthold, the Conservative party agriculture critics; Alistair MacGregor, the NDP's agriculture critic; and Mike Hoffort, President and CEO of Farm Credit Canada. Dr. Lois Morton, of the North American Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance, spoke about the application of climate science to the agriculture and forestry sectors.
Source : Canadian Federation of Agriculture