Optimism was in good supply among Canadian Federation of Agriculture members who gathered in Saskatoon July 24-27.
CFA president Bob Friesen said it’s fitting that the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan hosted the group’s semi-annual meeting.
“It’s important Saskatchewan farmers are at the table, especially for grains and oilseeds policies,” he said, noting the province has 45 percent of Canada’s arable land.
Friesen said improved prices for grain create a positive mood for farmers here and elsewhere in Canada, although he conceded the story is a little more bleak for the hog industry.
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“If one sector does well, chances are another sector won’t be,” he said of a diverse Canadian agricultural landscape.
Protection of those riches was among top priorities for a host of committees studying the issues of trade, farm food safety, safety nets, growth and the environment.
With the next generation of a federal-provincial framework expected in March, Friesen said CFA has a role to play in helping shape what that will look like.
“We have to make sure there is continuity and that we have a seamless transition because farmers can’t afford to have a disruption in programs or in funding as we move from one to another,” he said.
Friesen was pleased that much of the CFA’s Canadian Farm Bill can be seen within government documents under consideration. He cited the federal and provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting in June at Whistler, B.C., that proclaimed agreement in principle on a successor to the first policy framework.
On the international front, CFA continues to provide input for ongoing negotiations with the World Trade Organization.
The Doha round of negotiations is not going in Canada’s favour, said Friesen.
“There is such diversification in Canada and the text is being tailored far too much to where the Europeans and United States want it,” he said.
Of particular concern is U.S. cuts to “domestic support reductions” that Friesen said do not go far enough.
“The concern is that the U.S. will not have to reduce its subsidies below its current actual spending.”
He also said European countries are “playing games with market access improvement,” something he said will result in Canada not getting enough market access and possibly undermining supply managed systems.
He also wants to see a greater assurance that export credits and foreign aid will not turn into export subsidies.
“The mood is always one of concern as there are so many countries involved that Canada will have to be very strategic to make sure the agreement works for all of agriculture,” said Friesen.
