The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is pleased to see that several of its concerns have been addressed by Canada's agriculture ministers in a new suite of government agriculture programs titled the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), set to launch on April 1, 2018. However, CFA is disappointed to learn of a funding cut to one of the central Business Risk Management (BRM) programs, AgriInvest.
"We recognize the hard work that ministers and their officials put toward coming to an agreement," said CFA President Ron Bonnett. "However the reduced annual contribution limit under AgriInvest raises new questions about the adequacy of available BRM support. We hope that the new framework will lay the foundation for future investments, especially in light of the vision established in the 2017 Federal Budget - to increase agri-food exports to $75 billion by 2025."
Regarding the AgriStability program, improvements to the Reference Margin Limit and after-the-fact enrollment options are welcome changes, and will lead to better risk management protection for some producers, but the modest scope of these changes demonstrate the need of an immediate review of BRM programs.
"By taking a step back to assess the risks and opportunities facing producers, this review is an opportunity to ensure BRM programs are grounded in a clear vision that supports producers to invest in the future of their operations and the growth of this dynamic industry as a whole," Bonnett continued.
Although many details are yet to emerge, CFA is optimistic that the CAP will provide the means through which industry and government can partner in moving the sector forward.
The $3 billion CAP funding agreement will also support priorities in five other areas: science, research and innovation; markets and trade; environmental sustainability and climate change; value-added agriculture and processing; and public trust. CFA commends the investments in these additional areas as they will help stimulate farmers' ability to capture opportunities. However, few details on these program areas were made available at last Friday's announcement.
At their meeting last week, ministers also talked about collaboration in accessing the new $1.2 billion Strategic Innovation Fund, which launched earlier this month and is administered through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. CFA looks forward to learning about the outcome of that discussion as well.
Source: CFA FCA