Wynne Meets with Ag Groups, Prepares for National Agriculture Ministers Meeting
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Doubling as Ontario’s Premier and Minister of Agriculture and Food, Kathleen Wynne met with agricultural stakeholders in Guelph Monday, to get an ‘ag wish-list’ from industry groups before she attends the annual meeting of federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers in Halifax next week.
The closed meeting with ag industry groups focused on five key areas of concern:
1. Ensuring effective Business Risk Management (BRM) programs for Ontario’s farmers;
2. Pushing the federal government to pursue faster results on regulatory harmonization at the joint Canada/U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council;
3. Continued pursuit for access to new international markets through trade negotiations with Europe, Japan and Korea;
4. Discussions around bee health;
5. Border controls and their impact on supply management sectors.
Ministers will gather in Halifax July 17-19, which will centre on the five year national policy framework – Growing Forward 2. This will be Wynne’s first appearance at an agriculture ministers’ meeting as premier and agriculture minister.