SaskCrops submission to Sustainable Agriculture Strategy consultation

On December 12th, 2022, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced the launch of consultations to develop a Sustainable Agriculture Strategy (SAS) with the goal of “helping to direct collective action to improve environmental performance in the sector over the long-term, support farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen the business vitality of the Canadian agricultural industry.” SaskCrops, a collaboration of SaskBarley, SaskCanola, SaskFlax, SaskOats, Sask Wheat, and the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, submitted a response on behalf of Saskatchewan’s annual crop producers. 

Saskatchewan accounts for 43% of the annually cropped acres in Canada. Alone, it produces the equivalent of the entire Canadian domestic demand for most of the primary field crops grown in Canada while exporting most of its production.

Saskatchewan’s annual crop producers operate in a world where the prices they receive for their production are largely determined globally. If policies, targets, and timeframes impose costs that do not contribute to improved efficiency or increased output at the farm level, producers will have to absorb the costs at the risk of becoming globally uncompetitive and unprofitable.