The Canadian Pork Council last week released its wish list for federal candidates and more particularly the winners of the Oct. 19 vote.
Council chair Rick Bergmann said farmers should make sure candidates are aware of agricultural issues.
“We create over $13 billion worth of economic activity. With that amount of economic activity we have to make sure that for our members, but for Canada really, that we remain strong and as a leader,” he said.
The council’s industry platform contains requests in the areas of market access, competitiveness, labour availability and business risk management.
Read Also
Government, industry seek canola tariff resolution
Governments and industry continue to discuss how best to deal with Chinese tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, particularly canola.
“TPP, and just trade in general, is critical for our industry,” Bergmann said, referring to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The Canadian pork sector exports more than 60 percent of its production. Bergmann said the government has in the last couple of years signed deals that will benefit Canadian producers and that momentum must continue.
The council wants TPP signed, with Canada as a partner, and pressure maintained on the U.S. to change its country-of-origin labeling laws.
Labour availability is an issue both in processing and on farms, he said.
The CPC wants the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Program established.
And on the risk management file, Bergmann said programs have to be able to meet producers’ needs within those changes.
The platform calls for improvements to existing programs, a modernized Canadian Agricultural Loans Act to reflect growing farm sizes, higher costs and more complex farming structures, and ways to mitigate the risk of margin calls for producers so that hedging is a useful tool.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association released its priorities in mid-August.
President Dave Solverson said cattle producers are receiving excellent prices but other factors can negatively affect market opportunities.
“This underscores the importance of a competitive industry supported by a science-based regulatory environment for Canada’s beef cattle sector,” he said.
The CCA is looking to government to create the environment that allows herd expansion, secure access to high value markets and invest in research. The beef sector, too, is struggling with access to sufficient labour both in processing and on farms.
Successfully negotiating and concluding the TPP, and resolving the COOL dispute, are priorities for the CCA as well.
