Ottawa may deregulate agriculture sector

A shift to de-regulation might be underway in Ottawa.

On March 18, agriculture minister Kody Blois announced that one of his key priorities is” enabling a competitive advantage and (a) level playing field for Canadian agricultural products.”

Blois backed those words with actions to change Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations. The proposals could cut the regulatory burden for farmers and agri-food processors, including plans to speed up approvals for alternative sources of feed.

“This measure will alleviate the burden of tariffs on animal feed producers by increasing the number of approved feed ingredients from within Canada or from other countries,” Blois said.

Any reduction in paperwork or improvement in approval times is welcome news in Canada’s feed sector. Last year, the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada (ANAC) said the federal government has been too focused on regulatory “sticks.”

For instance, red tape prevents feed formulators from using feed additives that are available in the United States and Europe.

“We need the right (regulatory system) and policies in place to allow the feed industry to innovate,” Melissa Dumont, ANAC executive director, said last June.

ANAC is just one of many industry groups that have lobbied against the regulatory burden on agriculture.