The federal government has announced a “red tape reduction” plan that farm leaders are praising as a positive development for the industry.
“Regulations can be positive, but redundancies tend to bog a business down in paperwork, wasting time and money,” Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett said in a statement last week.
“The recommendations target some of the main issues farmers have been asking for to free up their businesses to allow for more investment and growth. These changes will no doubt strengthen Canadian agriculture’s position in the marketplace.”
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Bob Friesen from Farmers of North America said Oct. 5 a reduction in regulations for the import of farm chemicals would be a helpful outcome of the new policy.
Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario interim manager Nathan Stevens said last week the federal plan to reduce industry paperwork “represents a tremendous opportunity to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers.”
However, CFFO also noted that the federal announcement came during a week in which regulatory oversight of the XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta., failed to catch E. coli-contaminated meat being sent to consumers.
“These two developments highlight the importance of carefully balancing the regulatory system to ensure safe food without placing an undue regulatory burden on the players within the food system,” said Stevens.
Treasury Board president Tony Clement announced the “red tape reduction” plan Oct. 1 and it includes a requirement that within two years of imposing a new regulation that adds cost or bureaucracy to business, a regulation on the books that affects business must be eliminated.
Bonnett said the new regulations also will require CFIA to increase accountability and transparency when dealing with the industry.
However, the full extent of the impact on agriculture is unclear.
Despite repeated requests to Agriculture Canada last week to provide an overview of the impact of the deregulation plan on the industry, the department was unable to make anyone available who could explain the implications for agriculture.
