September 19, 2023, OTTAWA – The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), in partnership with COPA-COGECA, the American Farm Bureau and the Consejo Nacional Agropecuario, hosted the North American/European Union Agriculture Conference (NA/EU) in Charlottetown, PEI from September 12-14.
The NA/EU is a bi-annual event that brings together farm leaders from the European Union and North America to discuss the pressing issues affecting agriculture and to collaborate and share ideas to work towards solutions.
The NA/EU was attended by approximately 280 representatives from EU Member States, as well as from Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.
The conference provided a platform for constructive debate, featuring panels on the most pressing issues facing agriculture:
- Global challenges
- Agriculture and global trade
- Sustainability and innovation
- Responding to market and consumer trends
- Food security and resilience in agricultural systems
“This conference is an opportunity to share a wide range of perspectives on the key issues and solutions to some of the issues that affect agriculture across the globe, and share lessons learned on how we can best solve the challenges we face as an industry,” said Keith Currie, CFA President.
During the conference, presentations and remarks were given by a series of prominent international and Canadian leaders in agriculture and food, including:
- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
- Bloyce Thompson, Minister of Agriculture for Prince Edward Island
- Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation
- Marco Galindo, Director of Economic Studies, Consejo Nacional Agropecuario
- Ramon Armengol, President of Cogeca
- Christiane Lambert, President of Copa
“Farmers on both sides of the Atlantic are facing similar pressures from climate change, high input costs, labour shortages and changing market and consumer trends. The North American European Union Agricultural Conference provided a forum to share information and work together on solutions to some of the issues facing the sector. This is the kind of collaboration that will help us achieve our common goal of feeding the world sustainably, while building strong, productive and resilient food systems. Thank you to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture for hosting this important event in Prince Edward Island,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
On the evening of September 11th, a Leadership Summit and dinner was held, bringing VIPs and farm leaders together to learn about some of the innovative farm practices of PEI.
During the conference, a wide range of bilateral meetings were held between the leaders of various regions across North America and the EU for in-depth discussion on topics such as animal emergency preparedness, plant breeding innovation as well as consumer trends.
The event featured a welcome reception and an evening gala with entertainment and local cuisine from PEI. It also featured an agriculture tour featuring a selection of the diverse farming and food operations across PEI.