Alberta
Do Albertans understand just how big agriculture is?
Did you know agriculture, including food processing and related industries are actually the second largest contributor to Alberta’s economy? If you answered yes, you might be wondering where all the politicians have been? Despite it’s importance, Alberta’s main political parties have mostly kept to the issues of jobs, economy, and pipelines. That has a lot to do with the fact Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party is fixated on those issues and as the main opposition the UCP has enjoyed most of the headline grabbers throughout the campaign.
Does that mean the UCP is neglecting the agriculture sector? Well not necessarily. They may not be talking about it, but the UCP has an extensive agriculture platform. The NDP hasn’t talked about their agriculture platform much either. With a week left in the campaign, the Alberta Party provided one of the few “agricultural” headlines of the campaign by announcing some bold initiatives that might just help bolster their rural based candidates.
Barring any last moment additions, here’s what the three big parties in Alberta’s election are promising when it comes to Agriculture. We’re not editing these. These platforms come straight from the respective parties. (In alphabetical order)
The Alberta Party
An Alberta Party government will grow Alberta’s agriculture industry by a billion dollars and create 6,000 new jobs.
Leader Stephen Mandel outlined how an Alberta Party government would boost the province’s agriculture and agri-food industry. The plan includes the creation of a new innovation institute focused on investing in export markets and modernizing the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation.
Stephen Mandel, “Albertans are deeply proud of what we grow and make in our province. The agriculture sector has huge growth potential for our province. We must support farmers with smart government support. Changing the way we grow, raise, process and sell our agricultural products will create a healthier environment, and a stronger economy.”
Backgrounder
An Alberta Party government will grow Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food industry by $1 billiondollars from $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion and create 6,000 new jobs and generate over $100 million in new revenues for the provincial and municipal governments.
Alberta Agriculture Innovation Fund (AAIF)
● An Alberta Party government will establish a new fund, as part of Alberta Innovates, with annual funding of $100 million beginning in 2019-20.
● AAIF will support research and provide seed funding to industry-led projects.
● Industry partnerships will explore advances, such as innovative forms of processing, support for increased upgrading of plant-based proteins, biofuels, and sustainability initiatives.
Moving up the value chain
● An Alberta Party Government will provide $2 million in support of an agri-tourism development fund. The strong, positive brand of Made in Canada and Made in Alberta products can be leveraged to increase agri-tourism opportunities.
● An Alberta Party Government will allocate $2 million to create an office of certification support that will assist Alberta farmers and ranchers in obtaining value-add certifications.
● We will partner with industry to develop a new export program with a mandate to sell more raw and value-added agriculture products abroad.
Industry sustainability
● An Alberta Party government will ensure a portion of the renewable energy auctions are allocated to biofuel-based projects. Increased biofuel production would help diversify the energy market and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
● An Alberta Party Government will appoint a Bee Protection Task Force to provide recommendations to government on how to support healthy and productive bee populations in Alberta.
Enhance the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation
● An Alberta Party Government will undertake a review of the AFSC to provide better service to farmers including developing succession planning programs to transition enterprises to a new generation of farmers entering the industry.
● The review will also explore the potential of expanding service offerings to include agricultural innovations, such as new and non-traditional crops and livestock, and to help producers enter new markets.
Working Better Together
● In consultation with Albertan farmers we will make a measured update to Bill 6 (Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act.) to make changes such as providing special rules and exemptions for small farms.
● Any sales of Crown land for agricultural use will be subject to careful consultation with the agricultural industry, First Nations communities, and other stakeholders.
The NDP
Action for Agriculture and Farmers
Alberta’s farmers are the backbone of our province, and a major contributor to Alberta’s economy. Rachel Notley grew up in rural Alberta and knows first hand the essential role farming families play in our economy, our culture and our identity.
That is why Rachel Notley is fighting for farmers, for our agricultural sector, and for the small towns, rural communities, and family-run businesses they support.
We expanded efficiency programs for farmers, ranchers, and food processors to help our industry get ahead of the competition in other provinces.
We worked closely with industry to promote Alberta’s agricultural products worldwide and to create greater food processing capacity here at home.
We cleaned up a culture of waste and entitlement at Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) that the Conservatives let fester for many years.
We are providing $81 million to farmers from the carbon levy to transition to lower energy and energy efficient equipment.
We introduced the Local Food Act to raise the profile of local food industry.
We doubled loan limits to livestock providers, allowing farmers to invest in new stock.
As your Premier, Rachel Notley will continue working to grow and strengthen Alberta’s agriculture sector and to make life better for Alberta farmers.
We will streamline processes and reduce wait times for farmers applying for government approvals related to farmland, including environmental permits and lease transfers and create a one-stop portal for farmers to access government programs and services.
We will help farmers reduce waste with a new system for recycling agricultural plastics.
We will direct the Agriculture Finance Services Corporation to extend financing for non-traditional crops and livestock.
We will develop a unit to assist retiring farmers in succession planning and to encourage younger farmers into the industry.
We will commit to maintain funding for local 4-H societies and agricultural societies and work with 4-H to improve governance to ensure they remain vital parts of agricultural communities.
The UCP
The UCP Plan for a Strong and Free Agricultural Industry
1) Repeal Bill 6, Pass the Farm Freedom and Safety Act
Bill 6 and the supporting regulatory framework are intrusive, overly prescriptive, and undermine the competitiveness of Alberta’s agriculture industry. The NDP government introduced Bill 6 without consulting with the very people this legislation impacts most: farmers and ranchers, provoking massive opposition from Alberta producers.
While some large agricultural groups have subsequently been consulted in the development of regulations, grassroots farmers and ranchers across Alberta continue to oppose the Bill 6 regime and associated regulations. It has created additional costs, uncertainty, and complex new red tape mandates. Some smaller farm operators say that they now refuse to hire help because they are afraid of new legal requirements, meaning some aging farmers are working longer hours alone, hardly conducive to safety.
Many Alberta agricultural employers already offered their employees workplace insurance prior to the adoption of Bill 6. They report that the new law forced them to replace their broader private insurance coverage at lower premiums with mandatory Workers Compensation Board insurance, often with narrower coverage at higher premiums.
If elected, a UCP government will immediately launch comprehensive consultations with farmers, ranchers, agriculture workers and others on how best to balance the unique economic pressures of farming with the need for a common sense, flexible farm safety regime. The goal of these consultations will be to develop recommendations for the introduction of the Farm Freedom and Safety Act (FFSA), which will be passed into law in 2019. The FFSA will:
• Repeal Bill 6 (i.e. the 2015 Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act.)
• Require employers to maintain workplace insurance for farm workers, but allow employers to choose whether to purchase insurance from the market or from the WCB as long as basic standards of coverage are met for such things as medical and return-to-work support services, and protection against loss of income.
• Exempt small farms from employment legislation, following the example of New Brunswick that exempts farms that “employ three or fewer employees over a substantial period of the year (not including family members).”6
• Ensure basic safety standards.
• Recognize that operating a farm is unlike operating a conventional business, and that farmers and ranchers require much greater flexibility in meeting employment standards.
• Minimize the red tape burden on farmers and ranchers.
2) Eliminate the Carbon Tax
Bill 1 of a future UCP government will be the Carbon Tax Repeal Act, which will immediately reduce input costs for typical Alberta farms and ranches by thousands of dollars per year.
3) Cut taxes on the agricultural sector
The UCP’s Job Creation Tax Cut7 will cut the general tax on business from 12 per cent to 8 per cent over four years. The second largest sectoral benefits of the Job Creation Tax Cut will go to the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, mining and oil and gas sectors, which are responsible for 200,000 jobs in Alberta. Their share of the tax relief will be worth $167 million. This will help Alberta agribusinesses hire new employees.
4) Cut red tape on agribusiness
As part of the UCP’s Red Tape Reduction Action Plan8 a UCP government will consult with the agricultural sector to reduce by one third the regulatory burden on the industry, and to move from a process to an outcome based regulatory model, wherever feasible.
5) Fight Back Against Attacks on Agriculture
There are growing attacks from well-funded special interests against our livestock industries, together with modern crop science and agricultural techniques. In many ways, these attacks resemble the campaign of vilification targeting Alberta’s energy industry in recent years. We must learn from the failure of government and industry to respond to the “Tarsands Campaign” and similar efforts. That is why a United Conservative government would work with the agriculture industry to develop and help lead a comprehensive communications strategy to tell the truth about our safe, ethical and environmentally responsible farming practices and products.
6) Fight for Market Access
Indian tariffs continue to block Alberta pea and lentil exports, while China recently restricted Canadian canola exports. A United Conservative government will exert pressure on the federal government to use all tools at its disposal to open these and other markets. In 2018 Jason Kenney travelled to India as Leader of the Opposition to lobby that government to eliminate tariffs. As Premier, he would continue to show similar leadership by taking Alberta’s free trade message to key export markets around the world.
7) Eliminate interprovincial trade barriers.
A UCP government will lead a national effort to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers as part of the Red Tape Reduction Action Plan.9
8) Ensure that farmers, not government, set key agriculture research priorities.
The UCP trusts farmers to decide what type of research would provide the most benefit. The intent of public research is to support the agricultural industry with long-term research goals, which help improve Alberta’s competitiveness.
9) Perform a comprehensive review of risk mitigation programs to ensure they are streamlined and delivering maximized benefits to agri-food industry participants while ensuring Albertans are getting the greatest value for their investment with the least exposure. This will include crop and livestock insurance programs.
10) Streamline the Alberta Agricultural Services Corporation so that it improves service and responsiveness to farmers.
11) Strengthen Property Rights by pursuing constitutional entrenchment of property rights, and adoption of an Alberta Property Rights Protection Act10.
12) Consultations on Land Sales – In order to replace good agricultural land being lost to urban expansion, a United Conservative government would cooperate with municipalities seeking auctions on parcels of Crown land for agricultural use, where appropriate. Such disposition of Crown land would be subject to consultation with First Nations communities and others. In one case, MacKenzie County seeks to complete an auction of about 100,000 acres. To put this request in perspective, there are approximately 100 million acres of Alberta Crown land.
Why Canadians Should Care About Land Loss
Developments are increasingly taking over Canadian farmland. Farms once took up much of Canadian land. However, that case is not true today. Only about 5% of Canada’s land is considered prime farmland. This prime land borders one of Canada’s fastest-growing regions, and once suburban development overtakes it, Canadian farmers will have a challenging time providing food for the cities.
Farmers in Canada make their livelihood by planting, growing, harvesting and distributing food to the Canadian populations. Without land, both farmers and the rest of those living in Canada will not get fresh, Canadian grown produce.
Here are some reasons why Canadian farmers should care about land loss:
- Farmland Provides Food
While this is an apparent reason, it’s an essential one. Prime farmland in Canada produces food for major Canadian cities. As farmers continue to lose land, they have to rely on a smaller acreage to make the same amount of food — if not more — for the growing population.
Over the past 10 years, almost 1 million hectares of agricultural land has diminished due to development and growing populations. Agriculture continues to adapt to land loss. However, further technological advancements must first take place to grow enough produce vertically rather than horizontally.
- Land Preservation Will Help the Economy
Farmland preservations come with a wealth of economic benefits. Agriculture contributes to the economy through the following ways:
- Sales: For the economy to survive, there needs to be consumer demands and sales. Almost everyone purchases produce, so there will always be a demand for those goods. Without land to grow agricultural products, no sales will be made, and the economy could suffer.
- Job opportunities: Less than 2% of Canada’s population works in the agriculture industry. While it’s not much, that’s still over 750,000 people. Preserving farmland shows a commitment to the industry. Land loss would create job loss. However, maintaining the farmland — and even reclaiming it, along with pastures — could boost the sector and, therefore, the economy. It would provide unemployed people with job security.
- Secondary markets: Farmers are just one part of the food business. Because of farmers and farmland, secondary markets can thrive. These would include processing businesses, restaurants, schools, grocery stores and even waste management companies.
Canadian farmers should care about land loss because standing back and allowing companies to overtake the farmland could seriously affect the economy.
- Farmland Benefits the Environment
Wildlife often depends upon farmland for both food and habitat. Various types of farmland create diverse habitats for many different species. Without land protection, these habitats and food sources would be destroyed, leaving many animals without a place to survive. Many would have difficulty finding a native habitat.
Additionally, growing crops helps eliminate some of the carbon dioxide released into the air. Air pollution could decrease for Canadian cities as long as no more farmland is used for development.
One major problem occurring with Canadian farmland is desertification. This happens when the soil loses nutrients and becomes barren. The urbanization of Canadian farmland is the primary contributor to desertification, which speeds up climate change and harms the environment. Keeping farmland as-is will slow down climate change.
- Land Loss Affects Farmers’ Jobs
Perhaps the main reason why Canadian farmers should care about land loss is because their livelihood could be taken away. If they don’t have the means to keep up with technological advancements in the agricultural industry, they will not be able to continue their jobs if they experience land loss.
Agriculture is an essential industry. Not everyone can pick up the skills needed to grow their own food, and so many people depend upon farmers for nutrition and goods.
Take a Stand to Preserve Farmland
Farmland is a worthwhile and precious resource for many people. Reduction in farmland acreage will hurt Canadian farmers and the rest of the population, the economy and the environment. Taking steps to prevent more land loss can slow the rates of destruction and keep natural habitats thriving for both humans and animalls.
Click here read more stories by Emily Folk.
I’m Emily Folk, and I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Growing up I had a love of animals, and after countless marathons of watching Animal Planet documentaries, I developed a passion for ecology and conservation.
How Canadian Dairy Farms Can Adjust to New Dairy Demand
Many changes occurred around the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In Canada, while schools and businesses closed, consumers flocked to the supermarkets to buy essentials.
Perishable goods flew off the shelves, resulting in limits being placed on items like dairy and poultry. The standard distribution system schedule put in place for dairy products could not keep up with buyers’ increased shopping.
While retail demand from grocers skyrocketed, orders from the foodservice industry plummeted. This has resulted in unforeseen fluctuations in the dairy market.
Hotels, restaurants, schools and eateries are closed or operating at limited capacity. As a result, there is now an enormous surplus of milk that has nowhere to go. Farmers are not equipped with storage spaces to accommodate the excess supply. Unlike agriculture products like potatoes, milk has to be sold immediately or risk spoilage.
Cows will continue producing milk, regardless of fluctuations in the market. While farmers have the option to reduce the size of their herd or change diet or nutrition, these things could prove detrimental when the market stabilizes.
The Supply Management System
A supply management system controls production quotas and imports for Canadian dairy, chicken, turkey and eggs. It was established in the1970s to coordinate production and demand while simultaneously controlling imports. By operating under this method, prices are stabilized for both producers and consumers.
A national agency represents each industry, and they are in charge of setting production levels that match provincial demand. Farmers in each province are allocated production quotas that are meant to prevent surpluses or shortages.
The original quotas were based on consumer needs pre-pandemic. As a result of these unforeseen events, farmers must now adjust to the new Canadian dairy demand. Here are four main ways farmers can adapt to the changing times.
- Dump the Milk
Producers say that discarding raw milk is inevitable at this stage. Farmers are reporting that they have been asked to take turns dumping milk. Although they’re paid for it, the waste could amount to as much as 5 million litres every week.
This disposal method is unsustainable and should only be utilized while the market is above capacity. Cows must continue to be milked to keep them comfortable and healthy, and production must continue to ensure product availability in retail stores.
- Donate to Food Banks
Rather than dumping milk, some farmers have begun donating to food banks to support Canadians in need. While this is a positive form of dispersing the milk surplus, it has the potential to overwhelm food banks that may not have the storage capacity to support this influx.
Additionally, the raw milk provided from farmers must be processed, which complicates the standard donation process.
- Improve Operations
Dairy farmers should focus on improving operations to become more efficient and cost-effective. Many producers have begun investing in updated equipment and robotics to save time and money. Competition is set to increase as a result of import growth projected for the next decade. To maintain a market edge, operations should be improved and simplified wherever possible.
- Expand or Retire
In 2019, the Canadian federal government announced an aid package valued at $1.75 billion to compensate supply-managed dairy producers over an eight-year period. The Dairy Direct Payment Program is one part of this aid package and provides $345 million payments as compensation during 2019 and 2020.
The aid package was proposed as a result of import shifts. The Canadian government has opened part of its domestic market to foreign producers as part of several free-trade negotiations. To adapt to increased competition from foreign products, Canadian producers should plan to expand their operations or retire. Larger farms will be able to sustain demand while simultaneously upgrading their methods to be constantly improving.
Smaller producers may not be able to afford the necessary production updates to keep up with competitors.
Future Demand
These are unprecedented circumstances. As schools, businesses and restaurants reopen, dairy demand will increase. With indoor capacity requirements and shifts in consumer trends, consumption levels will undoubtedly continue to fluctuate.
While farmers should take steps to dispose of surplus responsibly, they should not halt production or decrease their operation size.
Read more from Emily Folk
I’m Emily Folk, and I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. Growing up I had a love of animals, and after countless marathons of watching Animal Planet documentaries, I developed a passion for ecology and conservation. You can read more of my work by clicking this link: Conservation Folks.
Canadian Federal Government Taking Measures to Reduce Impact of COVID-19 on Agriculture
