[getsmart-l] Something is broken in Canada’s food system and Canada’s family farmers have been paying the bill

[John O'Gorman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: National Farmers Union Ontario 
To: National Farmers Union- Ontario Commentary 
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 8:54 PM
Subject: National Farmers Union Ontario Commentary Growing Forward Growing Nowhere


Growing Forward - Growing Nowhere

 

A commentary for the National Farmers Union-Ontario

By Grant Robertson

 

On November 28th the NFU was represented by two of its most outstanding leaders at a hearing of the federal Agriculture Committee in Ottawa.  Kalissa Regier, who farms in Saskatchewan and is the NFU Youth Vice-President and Colleen Ross NFU Women’s President, who farms outside of Ottawa, joined forces to deliver a detailed and wide ranging presentation on the state of the Canadian farm economy.  The two NFU representatives focused on a number of issues from the loss of young farmers, restoring farm profitability, supporting domestic food production in our local areas, product of Canada designation, along with others.

 

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture has diverged from the direction of the federal and provincial governments.  What those governments call Growing Forward is really little more than a continuation of the failed policy direction of the past and calling the CAIS program a new name.  In terms of farm income Growing Forward is growing nowhere.  Ross and Regier re-iterated NFU support for the Agricultural Committee’s recommendation that the next generation of agriculture and agri-food policy must place more emphasis on farmers and on primary agricultural production. Currently the direction being supported by the federal and provincial governments focuses on ensuring profitability for processors, retailers and bankers and is guaranteed to perpetuate the farm income crisis.  These governments seem to be operating on the mistaken belief that if all others in the sector are doing fine then magically that will translate into positive income at the farm gate.  20 years of statistical analysis and anecdotal evidence of farm family income shows this belief is completely wrong-headed.

 

Ross and Regier also focused on some specific issues, devoting much of their time to the income crisis pork and beef farmers are currently facing.  NFU delegates to the recent NFU National Convention called upon the federal government to invest in the pork and beef industries in Canada to prevent a potential total collapse in some communities.  The NFU stated directly to the Committee that short-term investment in the form of assistance for livestock farmers is needed immediately.  The NFU called for graduated payments to farmers up to a cap of $100,000, based on current market losses, so that farmers can survive the current economic crisis.  The NFU is particularly concerned about the damage being done to cow-calf and independent pork farmers and believes they need the special attention of government.  If we lose the base of the beef industry, for example, the rest of it will crumble like a house of cards.  

 

Something is broken in Canada’s food system and Canada’s family farmers have been paying the bill through off-farm income or massive debt and often both.  Farmers are the foundation of the food system. We are the producers of wealth, and the simple fact is that we need to earn a fair return on our labour and investment. The Growing Forward initiative, promoted by the Federal government and supported by the provinces, which downplays or ignores the legitimate requirements of family farmers in order to boost the profitability of processors, exporters and other components of the food system is inherently inequitable and unsustainable.  The Committee and government have not heard the last from the NFU on fighting for the future of Canada’s family farmers.

 

Grant Robertson is an elected Ontario Director with the National Farmers Union-Ontario and a National Board Member of the NFU. Grant and his family farm near Paisley, Ontario.  The author can be contacted at grant at bmts.com

If you have been forwarded this commentary and would like to be added to the distribution list please send an email to grant at bmts.com with “subscribe” in the subject line.
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