Quebec City, QC (July 16, 2019) – The leaders of Canada’s AgGrowth Coalition are in Quebec City awaiting the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Agriculture Ministers’ response to farmers’ call for immediate action on national Business Risk Management (BRM) programs.
The AgGrowth Coalition and its members have formally asked the FPT Ministers to implement the following action items during their meeting this week:
- AgriStability coverage immediately adjusted to cover losses starting at 85 per cent of historical reference margins with no Reference Margin Limits;
- Prioritize discussions on production insurance for livestock and horticulture crops which are not currently covered under AgriInsurance;
- Discussions on BRM programming options to be meaningful and focussed on program effectiveness rather than funding levels; and
- The establishment of an industry-government technical working group that allows farm groups to actively participate in BRM data and impact analysis.
“Farmers from across Canada are relying on the FPT Agriculture Ministers to put in place immediate improvements to BRM programming that can help manage risks beyond farmers’ control,” says Markus Haerle, chair of AgGrowth Coalition.
“The FPT Agriculture Ministers are at a critical juncture, we expect governments from across Canada to stand up and support Canadian farmers so we can remain globally competitive in the face of challenging market and weather conditions,” said Chris van de Heuvel, AgGrowth co-chair.
“Market volatility and barriers in traditional markets are impacting farmers across the country,” says Jeff Nielsen, co-chair of AgGrowth. “Farmers need a BRM suite of programs that is bankable and predictable to help manage these risks. And we need it put in place this year!”
Coalition members represent farmers from across the country and include: Canadian Canola Growers
Association, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Horticultural Council, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Grain Growers of Canada, and the National Sheep Network.
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Laurie Karson
Director of Communications
Phone: 613-236-3633 ext. 2322
Email: communications@canadian-farmers.ca
Grain Growers of Canada
Lindsey Ehman
Manager, Communications & Stakeholder Relations
Phone: 613-233-9954 ext. 202
Email: lehman@ggc-pgc.ca
Canadian Canola Growers Association
Cheryl Mayer
Director, Policy Development
Phone: 204-789-8815
Email: cherylm@ccga.ca
Grain Farmers of Ontario
Debra Conlon
Government Relations
Phone: 416-805-4490
Email: dconlon@gfo.ca
Canadian Horticultural Council
Mark Wales
Chair, Business Risk Management Committee
Phone: 519-773-6706
National Sheep Network
Jennifer MacTavish
General Manager
Phone: 519-836-0043
Email: jmactavish@ontariosheep.org