Canada’s longest-serving farm leader has stepped down after 11 years in the job.
Laurent Souligny, an eastern Ontario producer and chair of Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) – and before that the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency – since 2000, stepped down today during the EFC annual meeting in Ottawa.
Peter Clarke, a Nova Scotia egg producer, was elected the new EFC chair by the board of directors. The organization represents more than 1,000 producers across the country.
During his time as chair, Souligny represented egg producers at World Trade Organization meetings in Cancun, Mexico, Honk Kong and Geneva, led the organization in it’s corporate name and structure change, oversaw creation of a more efficient quota allocation system and was chair when EFC offices in downtown Ottawa moved.
In an emotional address to board members, he said his final accomplishment may have been to convince the federal government to increase maximum compensation levels for producers whose birds are ordered destroyed under the Health of Animals Act.
Current compensation levels have been an issue for farmers for years and Souligny said agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has agreed to move.
“I appreciate the minister’s direct involvement in the process and am optimistic the government will gazette new maximums in the near future,” he said.
Souligny becomes the second long-serving supply management leader to step down this year.
In July, New Brunswick’s Jacques Laforge retires after seven years as chair of Dairy Farmers of Canada.
