Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, we thank you for the opportunity to be invited here today to speak to you about the review of the Pest Control Products Act.
The Canadian Canola Growers Association represents 43,000 canola growers. We are governed by a farmer board of directors, representing all provinces from Ontario west to B.C.
Canola is the number one cash crop in the country, contributing about $19 billion a year annually to the Canadian economy. About $8 billion of that is in cash receipts to growers alone. Over 16 million tonnes were produced this last crop year, surpassing the industry goal to increase production to 15 million sustainable tonnes by 2015. So we are a growing industry.
Crop protection products, which include herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, are critically important tools for farmers' production. They allow farmers to produce more per acre by helping control yield-robbing weeds, diseases, and insects. Maintaining access to current crop protection products and facilitating access to new technologies is critical for canola growers to be competitive in a global market. Equally important is that the products farmers have access to be safe and environmentally sustainable.
The Pest Control Products Act is a key piece of legislation that both facilitates access to products that farmers need to remain competitive in a global market, as well as ensures these products are safe for farmers and all Canadians. It also provides an open, transparent framework that instills public confidence in Canada's regulatory system and the safety of crop protection tools being used in Canada. This is particularly important to canola producers, as the public's acceptance of modern agricultural practices is becoming more and more important.
At this time we don't feel that this act requires major changes, as it is serving farmers and Canadians well.
A key pillar of the act is science-based risk assessment. The canola industry and its successes have been built on the same foundation of predictable and science-based regulatory approval processes. This system encourages continued investment in agricultural innovations that have been critical to the development of new crop protection products. These advancements in science are continually facilitating the introduction of new crop protection products that offer benefits to farmers and to the environment.
New, more targeted products are more environmentally sustainable. New, less expensive products improve farmer competitiveness. New products that are easier to apply can reduce exposure of the product to the farmer, and the discovery of new modes of actions aids in the effort to reduce weed resistance, which is a benefit to both farmer profitability and the environment. These advances are all facilitated by a predictable, science-based regulatory approval system, which the Pest Control Products Act provides.
The current science-based regulatory system does a good job of risk assessment while encouraging continued investment in agricultural innovation. Any erosion of this science-based risk assessment would have serious consequences for canola farmers. CCGA strongly supports the PMRA in carrying out its mandate and upholding these important principles.
While it's not necessarily stipulated in the act, the PMRA also plays an important role in maintaining global access for Canadian agriculture products and ensuring functioning international markets. With 90% of canola exported annually, canola farmers rely on trade for their success, and both our industry and the government have invested significant resources to maintain and grow our trade opportunities.
Some specific examples of important PMRA work for us are the identification of Canadian priority pesticides for the establishment of Codex maximum residues, the joint product reviews through the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council, the joint global review process where OECD members cooperate to register products, and finally, the promotion on an international level of sound science in decision-making. These initiatives not only ensure continued access to international markets for our farmers, but also ensure they have access to the newest and latest crop technologies.
CCGA and our growers believe the key to PMRA's ability to effectively administer the act is having an appropriate funding level. Cost recovery consultations have been ongoing in the last few years with the latest rounds last week, and CCGA supports the modest user fee increase they have proposed and believes more funds are needed to ensure PMRA can continue to operate its current suite of programs, and meet its objectives and established performance measures. An increase in user fees to industry players would complement Government of Canada funding and ensure a strong, independent system and public confidence in the approved pesticides.
PMRA plays an important role in ensuring safety of new and existing crop protection products in Canada, creating public confidence in our regulatory system and influencing an effective global pesticide framework. The Pest Control Products Act continues to provide a good framework for bringing new crop protection tools to market, for ensuring open and fair processes, and most important, for protecting human, animal, and environmental health and safety.
I thank you for the opportunity to come to this committee today to speak about the act. I look forward to your questions.