Agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief went into the subsidy lion’s den of mid-America on May 22 to brag about Canada’s determination to set a new farm policy course and to plead for liberalized trade and lower agricultural subsidies.
“There continues to be an urgent need for further trade liberalization,” Vanclief told the World Agricultural Forum in St. Louis, Missouri.
“While Canadian farmers can compete head-to-head with anyone in the world when it comes to quality, price and safety, they cannot compete with the treasuries of some foreign countries.”
Read Also
Manitoba Parkland research station grapples with dry year
Drought conditions in northwestern Manitoba have forced researchers at the Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation to terminate some projects and reseed others.
He said Canada continues to advocate elimination of export subsidies and “maximum” reductions in production or trade distorting domestic support.
“Excessive support levels distort production,” he said.
“They drive down world prices that are already low and as a result, they hurt farmers, farmers in Canada and farmers in a majority of other agricultural-producing countries.”
The agriculture minister did not specifically name offending countries, although the United States and the European Union are the usual suspects in subsidy criticisms.
Vanclief said Canada has led the way by reforming its own domestic agriculture policies and cutting subsidies.
“Over the past 10 years, Canada has reduced and changed how it provides its domestic farm support as we lead the way in the struggle to greater trade liberalization and less trade-distorting domestic support.”
Vanclief claimed that his government’s determination to develop a long-term agricultural policy that emphasizes environmental stewardship and food safety rather than subsidies will put the country at the “forefront” of an agricultural revolution.
“We are embarking on this new age of agriculture with a sense of purpose and determination,” he said.
“What we are proposing is a new integrated framework that includes income stabilization, adjustment and transition, food safety and environmental protection. This framework will provide producers with the appropriate tools to manage their individual situations within a market-oriented, globally competitive industry.”
He said Canada will use science to create new crops and varieties that can tap into health and pharmaceutical markets.
Vanclief said the government’s goal is to make Canada “known throughout the world for being number one in terms of the quality and safety of our products.”
