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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday December 18, 2019

Dec 18, 2019 | 9:52 AM

Federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers met yesterday to discuss ways to improve support for Canadian producers.

The meeting comes after a tough year for many producers after bad weather, a CN Rail work stoppage and issues related to market access.

Ministers said they recognize producers face changing risks, particularly with respect to climate and international trade, and programs need to evolve to meet their needs.

Action will be taken on a number of key proposals related to the AgriStability program and the treatment of private insurance.

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The Western Canadian Wheat Growers (WCWG) said the recent agriculture minister meeting shows the federal government is completely out of touch with grain farmers and the challenges they’re facing.

WCWG president Gunter Jochum said farmers are wondering whose side the government is on.

“Grain farmers have faced the harvest from hell, a rail strike, a government stumbling through trade issues, only to have funding go to supply management commodities. Is this truly the best that the federal government can do?” he said. “Having another report from government bureaucrats and testing pilot programs in select jurisdictions is a lump of coal in every grain farmers Christmas stocking.”

Jochum said making more money available through cash advance programs will only result in increased farmer debt and is not a solution.

He said most grain farmers are now seeing the effects of the carbon tax, losing thousands of dollars with no way to pass that cost on to the end consumer. Jochum said producers are seeing a 10 per cent reduction in income as a result of the carbon tax applied to natural gas and propane used for grain drying.

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Conservative politicians said the Trudeau government must make helping Canadian farmers and producers a priority.

The message came after the agriculture ministers’ meeting.

The party’s agriculture critic John Barlow said the agriculture sector is in crisis.

He said the meeting was an important opportunity for agriculture ministers to come together and put forward solutions to re-open markets, cut taxes and support farmers.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF