Q. Do you feel Canadian agriculture is losing our competitive edge, or gaining?
A. There are challenges.
Competitiveness is key to profitability, and Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector is well positioned to compete.
We have a rich resource base, a skilled and educated (agricultural) sector, and a world-class culture of innovation.
Our farmers are innovative. They have great products to sell and a world with growing demand for them. Whatever the obstacles in their way, our farmers have repeatedly shown their ability to adapt and thrive.
Read Also
Riding the tariff rollercoaster
Farmers are accustomed to roller-coaster years. But the current geopolitical windstorm is something else entirely. On his cattle operation near…
Q. Your tenure has put much more focus on business skills of farmers. Why? Is this strategy having impact?
A. When we were developing the Growing Forward agricultural framework, we sat down with over 3,000 stakeholders across the value chain — from small farm entrepreneurs to large producers and food processors.
Young farmers said they needed a helping hand to get into the business. Our business development programs under Growing Forward are helping young farmers and established farmers build the skills and tools they need to compete.
Our new CA LA (Canadian Agricultural Loans Act) loans program, an Economic Action Plan initiative, is now delivering what could reach $1 billion in government-backed credit over the next five years to help farmers make needed capital investments and transfer the farm to the next generation.
Q. You’ve been actively building trade relations. Why did you decide that was your role? What are the largest opportunities for Canadian agriculture?
A. T here’snoquestionwe’vebeengettingoutontheroadalotmorethanour predecessors.
We’ve visited over a dozen countries in the past year — and we’re keeping our bags packed for 2010, much to the chagrin of my family!
Early on in my tenure, we sat down with industry to target countries of interest, and where we could get the most bang for our buck and get those markets humming again for Canadian producers.
Our farmers want to make their money from the marketplace and we’re helping them do just that.
We’ve had some good success in key markets for livestock, grains, oilseeds and pulses in the Middle East, India, China, Hong Kong, Africa, Russia and South America.
Canada’s Economic Action Plan is reinvigorating our trade opportunities around the globe through investments that will pay dividends for the long term.
The trade relationships we are building for Canadian farmers right now will deliver economic benefits to our communities for generations to come.
Agriculture is different today. Our farmers must still be the world’s most efficient producers, but that’s not enough. Today’s farmers must be as shrewd as any MBA grad, as skilled as any CEO. So, what does that mean for ag policy? Our Maggie Van Camp asked the one person whose answer counts
Q. External trad eactions and reactions have become a huge threat. How are you managing that?
A. Last year had its share of trade challenges for sure.
At the same time, what I’ve tried to do as minister is go out there and turn some of those challenges into opportunities to reinvigorate our trade with the rest of the world.
We’ve had some good successes in key markets around the world. We’ve finalized free trade agreements in countries such as Jordan, Colombia and Peru to create key opportunities for Canadian farmers.
At the same time, we’re standing up for trade that is based on fair rules and sound science, whether that be with COOL in the United States, our cattle access in Korea, or anywhere else our farmers aren’t getting a fair shake.
Backing up our efforts is the Market Access Secretariat, a dedicated group of experts to help prevent or fix trade impediments. They are out there making sure our government and industry efforts are coordinated, focused and getting the best bang for the buck.
Q. As an exporting nation, what are the largest opportunities for Canadian agriculture today?
A. W etalkedaboutimmediatechallenges, butIhavetosayI’moptimisticfor the long term. Our producers grow the best food in the world and the world wants more of it.
China is a key emerging market, and there’s still room for growth in mature markets such as Japan, Algeria and Italy for wheat, canola, beef, barley, soybeans, and so on.
We can’t kid ourselves, though — we’ll have to work for the business.
That’s why our Economic Action Plan is investing in traceability systems and the Canada Brand initiative.
Q. A decade ago, many economists, farmers and bankers would have answered that question with the word “hogs.”
A. F armersareavitalpartoftheCanadianeconomy, butthecurrentglobal economy uncertainty has hit the pork industry especially hard.
We all know the Canadian pork industry can become profitable again. The sector has a lot of strengths to build on — land base, feed availability, high-health herd, good genetic stock.
But we have tough decisions and hard work ahead. Last year, we sat down with the Canadian Pork Council to determine the best way forward. In August, we delivered a package of measures to help producers position their businesses for the future, capture new opportunities and adjust to market realities.
I continue to work closely with Canada Pork International to open up new global business in key markets.
Step by step, our Government is opening and reopening markets for our pork farmers.
From growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan, I understand that nobody wants to walk away from their barns, but the fact is that there are hog operations that simply aren’t viable any more.
Those farmers need an opportunity to transition out of the hog industry. The Hog Farm Transition Program provides up to $75 million to help those producers looking to transition out of the industry or stop production for a minimum three years.
We won’t know the overall impact of the program until all the tenders are completed and all the barns of successful bidders have been emptied. However, the Canadian Pork Council has stated that the first two tenders were successful and they’re making significant progress towards CPC’s adjustment targets.
Q. Are we doing a good job of aligning Canada’s agriculture with our increasingly diversified population?
A. You put your finger on a tremendous growth opportunity for our producers and processors. Canadian consumers spend over $140 billion on tens of thousands of different food products each year.
Today, six million immigrants enrich our Canadian cuisine, and our producers and processors are well positioned to supply them with meat products, noodles, sauces, couscous, baked products and a host of other innovative products.
We have a lot of experience in meeting the needs of global consumers, honed from selling tens of billions of dollars in high-quality food to nearly 200 countries around the world every year.
Through strategic investments in innovation, our government is helping our industry respond to evolving consumer demands for food. We’ve invested $158 million in Agri-Innovations Program to support industry-led innovation initiatives.
Q. Can you save supply management?
A. This Government has made it clear that it strongly supports supply management, and that it will continue to strongly defend interests important to these industries in international negotiations.
We have taken action under Article 28 to limit imports of milk protein concentrates. We have committed to bring into force the WTO Special Agricultural Safeguard. And we have harmonized federal cheese standards to bring greater certainty to consumers and processors.
Q. Can we meet our biofuel targets?
A.The bottom line on biofuels is they get more people bidding on our farmers’ products, and that’s a good thing. Biofuels give farmers a different warehouse to deliver to and help them participate in the value chain.
Canada’s current capacity to produce biofuels is about 1.4 billion litres of ethanol and over 100 million litres of biodiesel. The ecoENERGY for Biofuels program is on track to meet its growth target of two billion litres of ethanol and 500 million litres of biodiesel by 2011-12.
Q. Are the changes at the Canadian Wheat Board so far significant enough? If you could snap your fingers and change the CWB, what would it look like?
A. T heGovernmentofCanada’sobjectivecontinuestobetoallowmarketing freedom for wheat and barley growers in Western Canada.
Unfortunately, opposition parties have blocked this policy because they don’t believe western Canadian farmers are competent enough to choose how to market their grain. Despite this, I can assure you that the Government remains committed to achieving marketing freedom.
Q. How is this department different with you at the helm? What will history say you have brought to the role?
A. I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan so our philosophy for agricultural policy is very simple: Farmers First. The agriculture sector in Canada is broad and complex, but farmers are the foundation — when farmers succeed the benefits flow to processors and retailers as well. We start by asking farmers what they want and then we work hard to deliver.
When I was still farming, past governments used to cook up policies in Ottawa and then try to convince us that their ideas could work at the farm gate. They had it backwards.
That’s why we put Farmers First by asking what they need and then we work hard to deliver on those goals.
Canada has faced a number of challenges in agriculture over the past few years and all of them are important to the farm families they touch.
We’ll have to wait for history to decide how well we handled the different challenges. CG
