VANCOUVER – Having an effect on international farm policy is like beating back a plague of locusts with a fly swatter, says the head of a global farm policy organization.
With only a handful of staff and a limited budget, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers isn’t capable of influencing policy positions that affect farmers around the world.
“It’s very difficult for IFAP to truly be able to represent farm organization interests internationally, when you think of the spread of activity and all that has to be done and all with the same staff as CFA has,” Jack Wilkinson told the Canadian Federation of Agriculture meeting.
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With a staff of eight and new agriculture positions or controversial research being announced every month, IPAF doesn’t have the ability to critically analyze the areas important to agriculture, said Wilkinson, who was elected head of the international farm organization 10 months ago.
It’s more than a matter of analyzing international policy papers. When Wilkinson was president of the CFA, he could easily meet with a Canadian cabinet minister to get his message for farmers across. But there is no international minister of agriculture or finance to lobby from his headquarters in Paris.
“It’s a very difficult step. People are being frustrated and I’m feeling guilty because I’m supposed to be the Canadian who becomes the IPAF president with the expectation you can do something.
“I don’t think we have the resources and the wherewithal at an international level to fund a lobby that is required to fundamentally influence what is going on at a farmer point of view,” said Wilkinson.
He said the latest World Trade Organization position paper is detrimental to farmers around the world, yet it would take a legion of workers to fan out and lobby for change.
“I’m not trying to whine about it, but it’s certainly a huge job. If countries like Canada are not able to influence and set an example, if we’re unable to influence, what chances are the other countries with less resources going to have and influence what happens?”
Wilkinson believes federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief when he says Canada is strongly opposed to the new WTO position paper on trade and has voiced his opposition.
To protect its farmers, Canada needs to do more than have the minister of agriculture speak out, said Wilkinson.
Everyone from the prime minister on down should express an opinion on how detrimental this new trade deal is for Canadian farmers.
“Why would the federal government not see how critical agriculture is to rural areas and wade into this as well?” said Wilkinson.
He said the unfair balance of tariffs between countries could negatively affect many countries, in favour of Europe and the United States.
Wilkinson said the prime minister has put forward a compromise paper on the war with Iraq and should do the same with agriculture.
“They should pull the stops out on every front and say ‘that’s not good enough and here are the countries that are like-minded and do something.’
“There’s nothing better to make that happen than a prime minister to make a bunch of telephone calls.”
