Members of the nation’s largest farm lobby group are preparing to ask campaigning politicians some tough questions about where the food industry fits into their vision of 21st century Canada.
“Too many policy makers have lost sight of the vital role agriculture plays in Canadian life,” the Canadian Federation of Agriculture says in election background papers sent to members last week. “It’s time to bring them back to reality.”
CFA president Jack Wilkinson said farm leaders are uneasy that politicians seem to be taking the farm sector for granted.
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“A lot of conversation around our board table is that there seem to be those on the political side who hope it doesn’t become an issue,” he said. “For us, that is not on. We will want to be sure they are pinned down on where they stand if they get elected.”
Wilkinson and CFA leaders have concluded there are some broad questions to which answers are needed.
Will the next government guarantee that safety net funding does not fall below $600 million and will it consider enriching the Net Income Stabilization Account program to ensure there is enough money?
Not enough money
“The reality is that contribution levels to NISA are too low now if this really is supposed to be a program accessible to all farmers,” said the president. “The work we have been doing suggests there’s bugger-all in farmer accounts, an average $12,000 and the bigger the farm, the emptier the account. This is not enough to sustain farmers through even a minimum downtown.”
Will the next government rein in its cost recovery appetite?
After battles over Pest Management Regulatory Agency fees, farmers now are casting nervous eyes at reports that food inspection agency revenues are $30 million below costs. “The CFA maintains there should be no new fees for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after its creation April 1, 1997,” say the federation election papers.
The CFA president said while orderly marketing will not be as big a focus this election as last because world trade talks are not looming with supply management as an issue, farmers will want to press politicians on their support for farmer marketing boards.
“I would say farmers have spoken on this issue and a majority still support orderly marketing,” said Wilkinson. “It will be interesting to see if Conservatives and Reform come out swinging for more deregulation, given the mood in the farm community.”
He said there also will be questions about whether government will ante up more environmental program money for farmers, how far it will go in deregulation and whether bureaucrats learn to work better with private sector groups.
