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Trans-Pacific trade deal opens new markets for Canada’s beef producers

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A recently ratified agreement between the government of Canada and 10 other countries will provide tariff-free and/or competitive access to key markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

On Oct. 25, The Government of Canada became the fifth member nation to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

CPTPP countries that ratified before Canada were Japan, Mexico, Singapore and New Zealand. The sixth nation to ratify the deal was Australia on 31 October. Because the provisions of the agreement specify that it enters into effect 60 days after ratification by at least 50 per cent of the signatories (six of the eleven participating countries), it will come into force on 30 December 2018.

Canada’s agricultural producers had urged the federal government to be one of the first six to ratify the agreement, allowing Canada to benefit from the early rounds of negotiations and tariff cuts. For beef producers, early ratification is considered key to securing the best terms with the growing markets in Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia.

The Japanese market in particular holds huge potential for Canadian beef producers. The CPTPP will reduce the current 36.5 per cent tariff to 27.5 per cent on Canadian fresh beef and 26 per cent on Canadian frozen beef. Further cuts will eventually bring the tariff down to nine per cent for fresh beef, while frozen beef will ultimately be completely exempt.

The National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) and Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA) are delighted the Canadian federal government worked so diligently to ratify the deal. The government used a rare walk-around process to pass the 14 Orders in Council required to complete the process.

“Canada is a trading nation,” Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, said in a statement announcing the ratification. “The CPTPP will add nearly half a billion consumers to the growing list of places where Canadian businesses can compete and succeed on a level playing field. The ratification of the CPTPP represents another important step toward trade diversification to help the middle class and those working hard to join it to compete and succeed in the global marketplace.”

How regulatory changes could help trade with the U.S.

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This week, we’re exploring recent changes to federal regulations that will help ease the trade in live cattle between Canada and the United States. It’s a follow-up to an earlier post in which we explained why trade with the U.S. is so important to Canada’s beef producers.

The governments of both Canada and the U.S. have strict regulations under which cattle can be imported into their respective countries.

One particular concern is to identify where an animal was born in the event of a disease outbreak. The required inspections, paperwork and documentation can be onerous. 

The Restricted Feeder Cattle Program

The Restricted Feeder Cattle Program was implemented to simplify keeping track of feeder cattle imported from the U.S. to a feedlot in Canada and then directly to the processor. The program allows importation without test requirements on a year-round basis but with proper identification and certification. 

The movement of these feeder cattle must be direct to a feedlot registered with the program, and from there, direct to processing. Because these cattle will not be going anywhere else, it makes them much simpler to trace back, so it was possible to relax the regulations.

Why there was a need for change

Typically, more feeder cattle and finished cattle are shipped from Canada to the U.S. than in the other direction.   But in 2017, market conditions changed, and between 150,000 and 200,000 head of feeder cattle were imported into Canada from the U.S. 

The National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) recognized that changes to the Restricted Feeder Cattle Program could make the process easier and less costly for Canadian feedlot owners, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) accepted NCFA’s suggestions. 

A summary of the changes

Recent changes to the Restricted Feeder Cattle Program have focused on the following areas:

1. Identification – including the information to be included on RFID tags.

2. Vehicle sealing – making allowance for rest stops for cattle en route.

3. Documentation for importation and border requirements – including allowances for shipments contained in multiple trucks.

4. Inspection at destination, approved feedlot – which can, in some cases, be completed electronically, based on a reading of the RFID tags.

For feedlot owners who are importing large numbers of feeder cattle, these changes will have a  significant impact on their costs, and their ability to justify the import of cattle from the U.S.

Maintaining a regulatory regime that protects people and animals, while simultaneously facilitating free and open trade, will promote a continued, mutually beneficial relationship. That’s why livestock producers will be watching negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement closely.

You can read more about this in the post, Why free North American trade is good for the beef industry and Canada.

5 priorities for cattle feeders in 2019 

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Canada’s cattle feeders are urging politicians to consider the needs of beef producers in their platforms for the 2019 federal election. 

Agriculture and Agri-Food is a $100-billion industry that employs more than two million Canadians. The government has identified the sector as one of a few with the potential to spur economic growth.

Canada is in a prime position to benefit from increasing global demand for agricultural products, but the industry requires government support in removing constraints and barriers to growth. 

The National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) cites five urgent challenges:

Rural infrastructure

Most agricultural operations are in rural municipalities with a limited tax base to provide infrastructure. With little federal funding, some municipalities have implemented counterproductive measures, such as the livestock head tax in Lethbridge County. This is eroding the competitiveness of cattle feeding in southern Alberta.

It is crucial that the federal government identifies critical infrastructure investments in rural communities and dedicates financial resources to make them happen.

Labour shortage

A chronic labour shortage of about 60,000 workers is costing primary agriculture producers about $1.5 billion in unrealized farm cash receipts each year. 

Farmers have been forced to turn to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to fill positions that cannot be filled by Canadians, but the process is expensive, time-consuming and complicated. 

The program’s processes need to be streamlined and clear a pathway set for permanent residency for temporary foreign workers.

Regulatory barriers

The industry is ever-evolving with new technologies and industry developments. But when regulations don’t keep pace, it hinders our ability to compete in the global marketplace.

In 2016, NCFA released a detailed study entitled The Competitiveness of the Canadian Cattle Feeding Sector: Regulatory and Policy Issues(PDF)

, Costs and Opportunities. It highlighted six areas – enhanced traceability, export regulation and impediments, veterinary drug harmonization, inspection practices, transportation and labour – where reforms could generate an additional $495 million in revenue across the beef value chain.

International market access

Canada exports 45 per cent of its beef production, and those exports are primarily to the U.S. To grow, the industry needs to expand into other markets, including the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

Agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Canada-EU Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) should be a government priority. They will have a tremendous impact on our ability to trade effectively with these regions.

Consumer education and trust

Government and industry need to work together to ensure consumers are able to make informed choices when it comes to their food, whether the issue is environmental impact, health, or production methods.

Public education should be a pillar of any new national food policy, and Canada Food Guide revisions should reflect the most recent scientific, medical and nutritional research.

In an earlier blog post, we featured John Weekes, an independent business advisor who has worked with NCFA on international trade issues. You can learn more about his work in Meet the international trade expert who is helping support the beef industry abroad.

How Olds College is preparing agriculture students for the future

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Agriculture schools are helping to shape the next generation of farmers. This first installment in our agriculture education series takes a look at Olds College, located an hour north of Calgary.

Olds College Smart Farm

When Stuart Cullum joined Olds College as president in 2017, he did so with a vision. He wanted to create an environment in which students could learn about agriculture technologies and the practices of the future.

The outcome of that vision is the Smart Farm. Here, the college’s agriculture students learn about, and experience first-hand, technologies that are making farming more efficient, productive and sustainable.

“The idea is to create a cutting-edge learning environment for students,” said Jason Bradley, Smart Ag director at Olds College. Many early adopters are already using these commercially available technologies – such as artificial intelligence platforms that are used to monitor crop health and diagnose diseases. “But at some point we will also start to look at using our facility to test and validate pre-commercial technology,” said Jason.

“Much of the learning of the applicable industry practices and technologies came about through our work with the Smart Agri-Foods Supercluster,” said Jason. Although the supercluster was not awarded funding under the federal Innovation Superclusters Initiative, it remains active in the Smart Farm and uses the facility as a place to develop new Smart Ag practices.

“The Smart Farm allows our instructors to teach the theory, and values of these technologies in the classroom, and then be able to demonstrate them in a hands-on teaching environment,” said Jason. “Students learn how to install them, integrate software and hardware, analyze data and use it for optimum decision-making.”

Tech-savvy graduates will have the knowledge and skills to help companies adopt technologies they would otherwise not have been ready for. The Smart Farm also provides a place for  producers to see those technologies in action, and talk to each other, the companies providing the technologies, and instructors and students.

“We want it to be like a giant coffee shop,” said Jason.

Smart livestock production

Phase one of the Smart Farm is focused on crop production, and the second phase – to be designed this coming winter – will focus on livestock production.

“An important part of that will be developing relationships with the companies that have developed applicable technologies, and with producers who are using technologies that fit into the Smart Farm framework,” said Jason.

How the Smart Farm supports economic development and ag innovation

Jason explained that the Smart Farm could have significant impact across Canada in several different ways. “We see this as a way to clearly demonstrate what technology can achieve in agriculture. We can show other schools how to design and implement this type of education and this type of collaboration with industry. We can also quantify the GDP growth and jobs created from high tech, improved practices. We can then help other regions replicate that, and scale it.”

Stay tuned for future posts in which we will look at other educational institutions helping educate the next generation of farmers.

How membership in the World Organisation for Animal Health helps Canadian beef exports

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The 86th session of the general assembly of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which took place from May 20-25 this year in Paris, France, concluded with some positive changes for Canada when it comes to beef exports.

The Canadian delegation was led by Dr. Jaspinder Komal, Canada’s Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and included ACFA’s president and CEO, Bryan Walton.

Setting international standards for the livestock industries

The OIE is an international organization whose primary objective is to set international standards for animal health and the safe trade of animals and animal products.

It was created in 1924 in response to an outbreak of rinderpest disease in cattle in Europe. Since then, its membership has grown from the original 24 European countries to its current membership of 182 countries from around the world.

Member countries follow the standards created by OIE by incorporating them into their own national animal health legislation. The standards are recognized by the World Trade Organization, and are used as a guide to mediate trade disputes between countries.

How Canada takes a leading role in the OIE

We spoke with Dr. Komal to learn more about Canada’s participation in the OIE.

“The development of these standards is democratic,” said Dr. Komal. “Ad hoc working groups draft the initial standards, which are then sent to all member countries twice before the standard is adopted in a general assembly attended by official delegates from all member countries.”

Canada is known for its strong reputation and expertise in animal health. As a global leader and because of the importance of international standards to trade Canada actively influences the development and finalization of OIE standards by providing expertise on ad hoc working groups and specialist commissions, and by sending the official delegate to the general assembly where these standards are adopted. Canada also works with like-minded countries such as the U.S., New Zealand and Australia to influence the development of these standards.

Outcomes from the 86th general assembly

Dr. Komal explained that, in addition to the general assembly meetings, side meetings also take place between delegates to discuss trade issues. This year, Canada advanced trade discussions with 14 countries. Some of the positive trade outcomes include:

    • The Canadian and Chinese delegates met to discuss harmonization of the audit process for pet food or rendering products. They agreed to meet later this year to finalize this harmonization, recognizing each country’s systems and potentially streamlining our trade of pet food with China.
    • The US agreed to collaborate on the Northern Border Port entry project under which Canadian feeder cattle will not be unloaded from the trailer when presented for inspection at the US port of entry. This will help streamline cattle movements across the Canada–US border and address animal welfare issues.
    • The U.S. delegation recognized Manitoba as being free from bovine tuberculosis, which means that breeding cattle being exported to the U.S. no longer require testing.

Dr. Komal concluded by saying, “It’s important to feed the world, and the OIE standards help protect against diseases that can be transmitted from one animal to another, and from animals to humans.”

Next week on this blog we will learn more about Dr. Komal’s role as Canada’s chief veterinary officer.

Alberta’s agricultural leaders ask government for help with labour crisis

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The Agriculture Industry Labour Council of Alberta (AILCA) has written a letter to the federal and provincial governments asking for support, because it is concerned that proposed changes to two programs intended to help farmers with a worker shortage will make it even harder to access labour.

For many years, Canada’s farmers have struggled with a declining domestic labour pool, resulting in a chronic shortage of workers. Temporary foreign workers are often the only source of labour available to help them continue their operations.

The council believes the proposed changes to the Provincial Nominee Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) will complicate the use of these labour lifelines.

Who is AILCA?

AILCA is a council of 22 agricultural producers, and related organizations, representing diverse agri-foods sectors from livestock to food crops and greenhouse growers.

The council recently wrote a letter outlining their concerns to the following ministers:

    • Hon. Patricia A. Hajdu, Minister Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
    • Hon. Ahmed Hussen, Minister Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada
    • Hon. Christina Gray, Minister of Alberta Labour

The purpose of the letter was to outline in detail the reasons for their concern, and the implications for Canadian agriculture if the government fails to take action to protect their interests.

The AILCA message to Ottawa

Here is a summary of the council’s concerns:

THE PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM

The federal government is imposing new requirements on the provinces relating to education, income, language and more. These requirements will severely hinder and limit farmers’ ability to transition temporary foreign workers to permanent resident status.

Some of the issues include:

    • Excessively high-income thresholds which are prohibitive for employers. It also does not consider unique aspects of agricultural employment which might include subsidized housing and the comparatively low cost of rural living.
    • Educational requirements which do not take into account work experience or job skills.
    • Language skills that are more advanced than those required to apply for Canadian citizenship.

The government is taking away the ability of provincial governments to provide solutions tailored to their specific economic needs.

THE TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program has many administrative issues that make it a lengthy and complex process for companies to acquire permits for the workers they need:

Service delivery issues:

    • Insufficient communication, leading to refusals. Applications are routinely refused on the grounds of rules or regulations that do not exist or have never been made public. Unannounced and sudden changes to forms, program requirements and wage rates are another common reason for refusal.
    • Increasing service delivery timelines and frequent processing delays, mean applications can take anywhere from one to three months, with no consistency.
    • Workers coming from Mexico are experiencing such delays to their visa applications that they often don’t arrive in time for the start of the season.

Program framework issues:

    • TFWP Cap – Despite the proven, chronic agricultural labour shortage, many employers are subject to a 10 or 20-per-cent cap on the number of TFWs they can hire.
    • Housing – Employment and Social Development Canada officers have been implementing excessive housing requirements based on unpublished, and in some cases, non-existent program rules. Many of them fail to consider the specific situation or requirements of individual employers.
    • Application Streams – The application stream under which employers can apply has been reduced from two to one, resulting in many problems because specific operational needs are not taken into account.
    • Commodity Lists – A TFW can only work in one commodity, or agricultural product group. On a feedlot, for instance, this precludes workers from helping with both livestock and feed crops because those would be considered different commodities.

Audits and inspections:

    • Applications are often delayed due to audits, which can drag on for weeks or even months. This leaves employers without access to desperately needed workers or prevents workers from extending their permits.
    • Unannounced inspections are being held, but the processes that guide those inspections have not been made available to employers. Certain issues such as bio-security and the inspection of businesses located in homes and private residences have not been addressed and are of particular concern.  

What AILCA wants

AILCA stresses the need for leadership from within the federal departments of Employment and Social Development Canada, and Immigration and Refugees and Citizenship Canada, as well as from the provincial government.

AILCA would like to see meaningful, ongoing collaboration on these issues, and has asked the provincial and federal governments to engage with producers and processors to develop realistic labour and immigration policies. They stress this is the only way to successfully grow Alberta’s and Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector.

Secure labour sources needed to meet $75-billion ag-export goal

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In 2017, the federal government challenged Canada’s agricultural producers to reach an export target of $75 billion by 2025 – fully $20 billion more than current levels. The government has identified agriculture as one of a handful of sectors that could spur economic growth.

Yet the huge potential for increased global trade for Canadian agri-foods is likely to go unfulfilled unless the agriculture sector’s chronic labour crisis is resolved.

Temporary foreign workers

The importance of temporary foreign workers to Canada’s farmers has been explained in previous blog posts. When farmers cannot find enough domestic workers to help them run their operations, access to temporary foreign workers, and the ability to keep them in the country, is crucial to the growth of the sector.

Proposed changes to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program and to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program are making it harder for farmers to access that labour lifeline.

Youth unemployment

We spoke with Joe Hersch, managing director of Youth Jobs Canada, who said that young Canadians could also be part of the solution.

“Unemployment rates among youth are in the range of 13 to 14 per cent,” said Joe. “That’s about double the Canadian unemployment rate, which stands at around seven per cent”.

Youth Jobs Canada is the only national employment website that focuses strictly on youth. It makes employment resources available to youth, and helps bridge the divide between them and potential employers. “We wanted to give youth the tools that they need to go after jobs, but also to allow employers to post jobs,” Joe continued.

The response to the site, which launched in October 2017, has been very favourable among employers, but the uptake among youth is growing more slowly. Joe commented that job seekers can sometimes be unrealistic in terms of the level at which they expect to enter a career path.

Youth Jobs Canada is building awareness among young people, primarily through work fairs and social media.

“Social media is where young people live,” said Joe, “and if you can direct your message through social media that’s how you can make sure you’re being seen. Having that interaction is so valuable, so that youth feel comfortable that we’re identifying with what they need.”

Services such as Youth Jobs Canada are valuable tools in the agricultural sector’s recruitment toolkit. Some others include Acme School’s Career Connections, Alberta 4-H, Ag in the Classroom and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Green Certificate Program. Nonetheless, support from the government is the best hope our agricultural producers have of a viable solution to this long-term challenge.

Why our high standards of animal care make Canadian beef the best

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Canada’s beef producers are committed to raising their cattle in a comfortable, low-stress environment. Healthy animals under good care produce a better product. Our producers realize that caring for, and respecting, the animals that feed us is the right thing to do.

“We’re proud of our production practices and how we look after the cattle in our care,” said Bryan Walton, ACFA’s president and CEO. “The way we raise our animals is integral to providing premium Alberta beef to the world.”

Here at ACFA, we have championed several initiatives that help our members meet or exceed best practices and regulations:

National Beef Code of Practice

In association with industry partners and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), we helped develop the National Beef Code of Practice. The code, which was developed in conjunction with animal welfare and enforcement representatives, as well as experts in beef cattle behaviour, health and welfare, defines the base standards of animal care.

Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment Program

This fully auditable program, which is certified by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO), provides cattle feeders with a way to assess their animal care practices and demonstrate their high standards. Consumers increasingly rank animal welfare as an important factor in their buying decisions and this program provides confidence in an integral segment of beef production.

Industry collaboration

We collaborate with important animal care organizations like Alberta Farm Animal Care, and participate in programming such as the Canadian Livestock Transport Certification Program. This is a standardized course offering certification that is recognized throughout Canada and the United States. The program is led by an industry initiative to address the need for increased accountability and improved handling practices in livestock transport. One of the main strengths of Canadian Livestock Transport is that the courses present the current regulations for animal transport in Canada.

The basis for these programs is scientific knowledge about the needs of animals. Through training and experience, and with the guidance of accredited veterinarians and animal nutritionists, our industry members produce healthy, delicious food in an ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible manner.

If you’re still not convinced that Canada’s beef cattle are cared for in the most compassionate, respectful way possible, check out ‘3 feedlot myths busted’.

Foot-and-mouth disease strategy crucial for Canada and cattle feeders

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Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious virus that can affect cattle, sheep and swine. When an outbreak hits any livestock producer’s operation, the results can be devastating, with the potential for entire herds, or even an industry, to be decimated.

The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA), is concerned that Canada is not sufficiently prepared for an outbreak. This needs to be addressed by both the Canadian government and our own industry.

“The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) are continuing to elevate the importance of readiness for a foot and mouth disease outbreak in Canada,” said Bryan Walton, ACFA’s president and CEO. “One crucial aspect is access to a vaccine, and a policy around vaccination for FMD in Canada.”

In March 2018, a delegation of government and industry representatives, including Bryan Walton and Ryan Thompson, visited Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) in Lyon, France, to learn more about its production capabilities for an FMD vaccine.

“FMD is a serious issue, so it was good to have an industry-government delegation in Lyon, to see the facility and talk about the path forward,” said Ryan Thompson, NCFA board chair. “We all need to work together to make sure our members are able to have a strategy to deal with an outbreak.”

Some background

The North American FMD Vaccine Bank is a resource jointly administered by commissioners from Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. However, the U.S. is seeking government funding to create a ‘US only’ vaccine bank because, in today’s intensive livestock industry, they see it as the only way to ensure their producers have access to the required number of vaccines, regardless of strain. There is concern that with their own private resource, their support for the North American bank will diminish.

If Canada does not take similar measures it puts the entire beef industry at risk.

Boehringer Ingelheim has the technology to produce sufficient quantities of an effective, DIVA-compliant (Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals) FMD vaccine – potentially within five days of receiving the request.

Next steps

“The meeting has triggered strong interest among both industry and government leaders, in looking at the greater use of vaccination strategies in Canada’s livestock industry, in the event of an FMD outbreak,” said Bryan. “Greater use of vaccination would require several other strategies to be fully and effectively implemented by industry — like an immediate ‘voluntary cease movement’ – also referred to as a 48 or 72-hour standstill – and use of packing plants to slaughter for disposal rather than consumption.”

Vaccination would greatly reduce the need for a ‘stamping out’ strategy, involving mass depopulation and disposal. That would be difficult, if not impossible, to implement in larger operations, and is increasingly considered unacceptable by the general public.

“A very pertinent question for Canada relates to how we re-gain FMD-free status after the deployment of the vaccine,” continued Bryan. “It is most likely that the process of regaining FMD free status in Canada or North America, as recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health, OIE, would take a year or more from the incidence of an outbreak. This will depend in part on whether the control measures involve ‘stamping out’, which would enable faster recognition, or vaccination, which would result in a longer time for recognition. It is important to note that once OIE recognition of FMD-free status is obtained, it would take longer still to re-establish market share.”

Industry members and government have set up a meeting for April 20, 2018, to begin discussion of a ‘made in Canada’ FMD vaccination strategy, taking into account what that would require from both industry and government.

FMD is just one of ACFA’s initiatives aimed at helping beef producers raise healthy animals in a low-stress environment. You can learn about other actions being taken in ‘Animal health initiatives from Alberta’s cattle feeders’.

Why the Canadian government needs to implement the Agricultural Workforce Action Plan

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Canada’s agriculture sector is struggling with a labour shortage crisis, made more challenging with recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

It is time for the government to step up and make the process simpler and faster for the people who help feed Canadians every day.

In 2012, agriculture and agri-food industries employed 2.1 million people in Canada, accounting for one in eight jobs. Of these, about 39,700 were temporary foreign workers.

There are many reasons why Canada’s farmers find it necessary to supplement their Canadian workforce with temporary foreign workers, including:

  • As rural dwellers migrate to cities, it is increasingly difficult to attract workers for rural jobs.
  • The seasonality of the industry makes it hard for farmers to offer full-time, permanent jobs.
  • Farming is hard work, and many people are not attracted to its strenuous nature and often harsh working conditions.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

The ability to hire foreign workers as farmers need them is invaluable for many Canadian farmers.

Unfortunately, in response to alleged abuse of the program by industries outside agriculture, the federal government made changes in June 2014. Although primary agriculture was exempt from some of the changes, many others have had unintended consequences. It is now a convoluted and lengthy process for farmers to bring in the workers they require.

The challenges experienced by beef producers and other farmers are outlined in ‘Canada’s agriculture sector needs help and foreign workers are part of the solution’.

The Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Action Plan

The agriculture industry has collaborated on recommendations for addressing the labour crisis. Goals for meeting the industry’s non-domestic labour requirements include:

    • Short term: Streamline the existing systems and processes within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to help the agriculture and agri-food sector successfully access non-domestic labour and adapt to policy changes.
    • Medium term: A new streamlined program designed for, and dedicated to, the agriculture and agri-food industry.
    • Long term:
      • Improve pathways to permanent residency for agriculture and agri-food workers in alignment with Citizenship and Immigration Canada; and
      • Implement long-term elements of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-food Workforce Action Plan, to ensure a strong domestic labour supply into the future.

Portia MacDonald-Dewhirst, executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC), said “The gap between the demand for workers and worker supply has nearly doubled in the last 10 years. Based on increasing demand, both domestically and internationally, for Canada’s food and agriculture products, the gap is expected to double again in the next 10 years, to 114,000 workers by 2025.”

“The council,” she continued, “along with 75 other industry associations, supports the implementation of the Canadian Agriculture and Agri-food Workforce Action Plan to address the immediate and pervasive issues of the inadequate supply of workers currently impeding businesses in Canada. The effort is guided by a national labour task force, and includes recommendations that are practical and essential to ensuring the safety, sustainability, and affordability of food for all Canadians and that support Canada’s continued position as a leader and significant contributor to food production for the whole world.”

The role of government in keeping agriculture growing

Agriculture is a unique industry because operators deal with live animals and perishable products. If they don’t have the labour force they require to get their work done, animals could suffer, and crops could spoil. It’s imperative that the federal government streamline the process so that operators can apply for assistance under the TFWP and bring in workers when they need them.

You can read more about the agriculture labour crisis in the following articles: