Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and John Streicker, Yukon Minister of Energy, Mines, and Resources, along Quebec agriculture minister Andre Lamontagne discuss highlights of the  FPT agriculture ministers meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon.

By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Ministers meet in Whitehorse

Agriculture ministers discuss the grocery code of conduct at annual meeting

Jul 22, 2024 | 4:00 PM

Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments traveled to the Yukon capital for their annual conference, which included farm tours and several days of meetings.

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said Canada produces the best agricultural products in the world.

“This year’s conference was another great opportunity to highlight the excellent work being done right across the country and discuss some of the most important issues we face, to help ensure that folks working in the sector have the tools they need to manage risk, grow their operations, and earn a good living,”  MacAulay said.

A grocery sector code of conduct, improvements to business risk management programs, capital gains tax changes, and food security in Canada’s North were among the topics discussed by agriculture ministers in Whitehorse.

MacAulay announced $1.2 million in short-term funding for the creation of a Grocery Code Adjudication Office.

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“We are pleased to announce that all major retailers have agreed to join the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct. This includes Loblaws, Sobeys, and Metro, and most recently, Walmart and Costco,” he said. “This is a positive step towards bringing more fairness, transparency, and predictability to Canada’s grocery supply chain and for consumers.

To help ensure the full suite of business risk management (BRM) programs meet the current and future needs of producers, ministers expressed the importance of improvements to the AgriRecovery framework and its interaction with BRM programs, notably AgriStability and AgriInsurance.

Ministers recognized that BRM programs are the first line of defence for producers and that it is critical that they are working for the entire sector. There was discussion on potential adjustments to AgriStability for livestock.

The FPT Working Group on Pesticide Management will continue to work directly with Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency and ensure participation to advance the Action Plan.

International trade, market diversification, and building the sector’s ability to grow and compete in global markets was on the table. This included supporting Canada’s ongoing trade negotiations with key partners and continuing to promote the benefits of Canada’s existing free trade agreements, particularly the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Efforts continue to minimize potential labour and supply chain disruptions, continue efforts on animal disease preparedness and response and the significant impact animal disease has on farmer mental health.

Throughout the conference, there was emphasis placed on working with producers and processors to leverage technology, data, and scientific research and development to increase the productivity, profitability, sustainability, resiliency and competitiveness of the agricultural sector. This included a panel discussion on food production.

The next Annual FPT Ministers’ meeting will be held in Winnipeg, Man., in July 2025.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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