HAWAII -- Following the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Ministerial meeting yesterday, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) finds it unfortunate the countries were unable to reach an agreement, leaving many countries and sectors without a clear roadmap forward.
"We hope negotiators return to the table quickly and can continue to negotiate a trade agreement that recognizes the needs of all Canadian farmers," said CFA President Ron Bonnett.
A delayed conclusion leads to uncertainty for all Canadian farmers. For the supply managed sector, farmers face uncertainty surrounding business decisions on their farms. For the export oriented farmers, it leaves them facing inequity of rules and treatment between ourselves and our competitors.
The are several outstanding issues - including intellectual property rights and market access issues - for agriculture and several other industries. Within agriculture, there seems to be a stalemate between a number of countries.
CFA's delegation in Hawaii met regularly with Canadian officials, including International Trade Minister Ed Fast and Chief Negotiators for agriculture to discuss Canada's negotiating position. Canada's negotiating team continued to emphasized they were seeking aggressive market access for export dependent commodities, while protecting the supply managed sectors.
"On behalf of Canada's farmers, we would like recognize and extend our appreciation for the hard work and efforts our government has made in negotiations this past week. It was clear the government was working from a negotiating position that recognizes the needs of all Canadian farmers, and we expect negotiations to continue along this trajectory," noted Bonnett.
We look forward to working with our government as it continues to negotiate towards a successful TPP conclusion.
Source: Canadian Federation of Agriculture