OTTAWA, MARCH 31 – The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) recently published recommendations aimed at informing the development of the next agricultural policy framework -a five-year multilateral funding and policy framework signed between the federal government, provinces and territories that will govern much of programs and supports available to Canadian agriculture.
The current Agricultural Policy Framework, known as Growing Forward 2 (GF2), will expire on March 31, 2018 and preparations are already underway to consider the design for the next generation of policy and programs.
“The policy and programs implemented have a significant impact on Canadian farms and agricultural sector. Canadian producers have a huge stake in this process because it lays out the policy context they will be operating under for an extended period of time. The framework needs to be ahead of the curve, capturing opportunity and making real, on-the-ground impact,” said CFA President Ron Bonnett.
“As the voice for farmers at the national level,” Bonnett added, “CFA has a responsibility to develop solutions for the industry. We don’t expect government to have all the answers, so we worked with farm groups and stakeholders to put the best solutions forward that will position Canadian agriculture for success. We expect and look forward to being an integral part of the process and working in partnership with government,” Bonnett added.
The recommendations were developed through three CFA working groups – the Strategic Investments Working Group, the Risk Management Working Group and the Market Development Working Group. The report, entitled “The Next Agriculture Policy Framework: Positioning Canadian Agriculture for Continued Success” touches on a wide variety of areas, including: encouraging best management practices, risk management tools to mitigate damages associated with increased weather volatility, the coordination of market development investments, investment in discovery science and agricultural research, a government/industry backed national food strategy, branding and an increased profile for Canadian food products as part of market assurance at home and abroad, and climate change adaptation and mitigation in order to make Canadian agriculture a world leader in sustainability.
In the coming months, CFA will be hosting a session with other producer and industry organizations to provide an overview of the policies and recommendations CFA has adopted. This session will also provide opportunity for other organizations to share their own positions and offer further insights. Based upon this session, CFA will consider on whether its policies or recommendations should be modified in any way to ensure consensus across Canada’s agriculture industry. CFA looks forward to working with its members and other producer groups across Canada to ensure the perspectives of producers across Canada are recognized, incorporated into a common position, and clearly communicated to governments across Canada.
For more information on the recommendations, whether it be for background, collaboration or a media interview, please feel free to contact the CFA office.
To view the summary document or the full report, click here.
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Goodfellow
or Erin Kelly
CFA Director of Communications
communications@canadian-farmers.ca