E-Newsletter dsfsfa An update from MBP July 21, 2023
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Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture meet to support a competitive and sustainable agriculture and agri-food sector
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and AgriFood (centre) along with F/P/T Ministers of Agriculture from across Canada. (Photo credit: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
(July 21, 2023 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada News Release)
The annual conference of Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture was held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, from July 19 to 21, 2023. Ministers discussed the agriculture and agri-food sector’s key issues, including the successful launch of the $3.5 billion Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) that came into effect on April 1, 2023. In the face of current challenges and concerns related to global food security, Ministers underlined the importance of working together to ensure that hard-working producers and processors in Canada have the supports they need to continue to feed Canadians and a growing global population. Ministers expressed their concerns regarding the extreme weather situations currently impacting producers across the country, including drought and wildfires. Ministers committed to working together expeditiously to share data and complete AgriRecovery assessments. Ministers also committed to ensuring that producers have access to a full suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs that are timely and reliable. In view of this, Ministers committed to continuous improvement of BRM programs to support farmers and ranchers. In order to ensure timeliness, simplicity and predictability of AgriStability, Ministers agreed to the implementation of an optional new model.
Prevention and preparedness planning for African Swine Fever was also discussed. Ministers acknowledged the need for continued strong collaboration between federal, provincial, and territorial governments as well as industry on the development of integrated disease prevention, surveillance and management plans and cost-shared response programming. Ministers recognized the importance of increasing Canada’s readiness and capacity to respond to potential disease outbreaks and reaffirmed their commitment to closely collaborate on this issue, and to engage with key players across the value chain by the fall. It will be critical to maintain public confidence in the Canadian food supply and to mitigate trade-related market disruptions, notably by establishing zoning arrangements with our trading partners. Ministers also discussed actions taken already, such as the ongoing work through Animal Health Canada (AHC). AHC is a national organization that provides a collaborative space for government and industry partners to achieve animal health and welfare priorities, while providing expertise in areas such as emergency preparedness, emerging diseases, animal health surveillance, and updating the codes of practice for the care and handling of farm animals. Ministers unanimously endorsed AHC’s proposed role in emergency preparedness and indicated their support for continued investment and its operations. continued on pages 2-5