Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister says members of a new advisory group should benefit as much from working together as he does from the advice they offer him.
Mark Wartman said the multitude of farm voices in the province means organizations don’t always hear what others are saying.
“Hopefully by hearing each other, more of the information that I have to integrate will be integrated at their level as well and it will help us develop more sound policy as we move forward,” he said in an interview.
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The Farm Leaders Advisory Group, or FLAG, will meet for the first time March 2-3. The meeting will involve 50 to 60 representatives from policy groups, commodity organizations and general farm organizations.
Wartman said the group will differ from another Saskatchewan committee known as ACRE, the Action Committee on the Rural Economy, in that it will deal with the entire agricultural industry. It will also deal with topics like the development of the Agricultural Policy Framework II, he said.
FLAG members will meet once or twice a year but subcommittees will meet more often to deal with specific issues. An executive committee will meet regularly with Wartman.The minister said there is no budget for FLAG but meeting costs will be covered and per diems paid.
“Overall the benefit is going to be so great that the costs will be considered minimal,” Wartman predicted.
