COMMENTARIES

Time for real results

OFA Commentary 2810   Click here for audio version

By Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Canada’s agriculture ministers have met, and are now recognizing that the country’s suite of risk management programs is not working as intended.

Farmers have been telling them that for over two years. The question remains, however, how long will it take them to implement the changes we’ve been recommending - changes that will make them work to provide bankable and predictable risk management programs?

If they want to do something to salvage a deteriorating industry, they better do it now. We have told them of the extreme risk of losing the country’s local food systems if no action is taken now.

At the early July meeting of agriculture Ministers there was an almost instant response to the flooding of farmland on the Prairies. As the ag ministers were beginning their recent meeting in Saskatoon, they announced $450 million for the AgriRecovery program to help restore lost acreage caused by the weather disaster.

Participants in Ontario’s coalition of farm organizations have noted that the governments’ rapid response to the flooding on the Prairies is a good example of what Ontario farmers need. Ontario farmers need the same respect of governments in making AgriStability and AgriFlex work for the market disasters being experienced here in Ontario as well as in other provinces.

So, our Ministers are prepared to quickly respond and to use workable programs to deal with serious farm business issues. That is good to know.  Now all we need to do is to find the key to enable Ministers to make the necessary adjustments to AgriStability and to enable Ontario's Business Risk Management Programs to stabilize and sustain our industry.  Ministers recognize today's programs do not address real market risk. Let's get on with the job then to make them work.

As farmers we need to continue to bring the message to our politicians. Our federal MPs need to recognize what Ministers already have – that the current programs are not working for farmers.  They need to take this revelation to the top to ensure that agriculture becomes a priority of the federal government – here and across our country.  

The market disasters we have faced need to be addressed as sure as weather relate disasters.  The simple fact is that disasters all yield similar outcomes – negative farm incomes, stressed rural families and increased of collapse of our domestic food system.

Our provincial MPPs must also pick up the torch that has been lit by Ministers. It is just not enough to recognize the programs do not work. Ontario must now demonstrate real action to address these dysfunctional programs – the business risk management suite must be fixed. Ontario has to show clear support of its local food system by implementing, not just studying, changes to AgriStability and our BRMP programs, designed by farmers, that will work for farmers.

We urge all farmers to contact their MP to insist the federal government goes beyond recognizing the problem and demonstrates, in a tangible way, its support for programs that will work to stabilize and sustain farming across the country. 

We urge all farmers to contact their MPP to insist the provincial government act now to implement BRMP and AgriStability amendments that will immediately stabilize and sustain farming and our rural Ontario communities.   

The Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition will be with farmers, organizing contacts and visits to ensure our political leaders get the message clearly and to ensure they act on the message promptly.

We will continue to work with Minister Mitchell to bring the nation on side for true national programs that will sustain Canada’s farming business.