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Consultations begin toward national food policy

Online survey and Ottawa summit will capture Canadians’ ideas about access to food and sustainable food systems

Canadians now have their chance to weigh in on what they think is essential for a nationwide food policy. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced late last month that national consultations toward developing the complex policy initiative will take place this spring and early summer. The consultations, which include an online survey, will invite Canadians

Food strategy consultations announced

The federal government is seeking input 
to formulate a first-of-its-kind national 
food policy

The federal government is launching consultations aimed at developing a national food policy for Canada. Lawrence McAulay, the federal agriculture minister, announced the move early this week which includes an online survey at www.canada.ca/food-policy. The government says the food policy will cover four key areas: Increasing access to affordable food; Improving health and food safety;



MacAulay pitches importance of Canada-U.S. agri-food trade

At a recent meeting of U.S. agriculture legislators he pointed out the balanced nature 
of agriculture and food trade between the two countries

Amid rumblings of U.S. action against Canadian agri-food imports, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay recently spelled out the importance of cross-border trade to American agriculture leaders. In a speech in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the annual meeting of the State Agriculture Leaders and the Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit, MacAulay said in 2016, “$50 billion in agriculture


overhead view of farmland

Manitoba farmland in demand, Eichler says

Most upward pressure on prices appears to come from established producers looking to expand, he told the Senate ag committee

The demand for Manitoba farmland from existing large farms is pushing prices up, although the rate of increase has eased during the last few years, says provincial Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. “Crop production land has been mainly purchased by local producers expanding their operations as they bring in the next generations of farmers to the

Wheat and US dollars

U.S. trade double standard confirmed

American trade expert Joe Glauber sees continued pressure on Canada’s supply 
management and rising domestic farm subsidies in developing countries

Joe Glauber confirmed what many Canadian farmers believed during the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks from 2001 to 2008: the Americans were promoting farm subsidy cuts, while increasing their own. In 2001 the United States spent $10 billion in market loans to offset low prices for U.S. wheat, corn and soybeans, Glauber,


Editorial: More of the same?

There’s a certain predictability to how the next round of agricultural policy discussions are unfolding. With the Growing Forward 2 suite of programs set to expire in March 2018, many expect that what follows will closely resemble what’s being replaced. That might not serve Canadian agriculture particularly well, however, since the sector is facing a

Ralph Eichler, Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba.

Trade key focus of agriculture policy framework

Manitoba’s agriculture policy priorities meld well with those of other provinces and the federal government

As federal-provincial-territorial meetings wrap up in Calgary, Manitoba’s agriculture minister says discussions touched on all areas of concern regarding the development of Canada’s next agricultural policy framework, which will launch in 2018. “We want public trust of course, research and development, we want to increase trade, we want to ensure that if we get this


Close-up of corn kernels

Once again, big crops cost extra for the U.S. taxpayer

Longtime observers of the farm economy say it’s cheaper to control production than to offset low prices

The board of directors of the U.S. National Farmers Union passed a resolution on the farm economy at its June meeting. In part, the ratified resolution calls for “corrective action and evaluation of price support levels” so that farm programs can serve to minimize the farm income drop.” Farmers have become alarmed about the farm

The NFU’s views on the agriculture ministers’ meeting

Excerpts from an NFU brief sent to federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers 
in advance of their annual conference in Calgary July 20 to 22

We expect the next agriculture policy framework will continue to have two main areas of focus: safety net, or Business Risk Management (BRM) programs for farmers, and Strategic Initiative funding to support programs with broader policy goals. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research has shown that AgriStability is used disproportionately by larger farms. When GF2 (Growing