Evidence of meeting #13 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was dairy.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Jean Rousseau NDP Compton—Stanstead, QC
Do foreign organic products on the Canadian market also meet Canadian standards?
How could we change Canadian standards to promote our competitive advantage?
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
Actually, we're doing very well at this point.
The national Canadian organic regulations were passed and finalized this year after a two-year implementation, and that resulted in those bilateral trade agreements with the EU and U.S. That means that any product coming into Canada has to meet Canadian organic standards and is inspected to that, except in terms of the U.S. and EU, which we deem as equivalent there.
We're not getting dumped on any more.
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Organic Growers
We do need to continue to invest in those standards.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Jean Rousseau NDP Compton—Stanstead, QC
My question is for the turkey and dairy farmers.
The Canadian agricultural sector is facing a number of new challenges, including a reduction in the number of farms, of producers, concentration in the sector, high production costs, and, mainly, an aging farm population. That is one of the aspects which is of most concern to me. In a number of sectors, there is practically no next generation.
What types of administrative incentives, for instance grants for apprenticeships or exchange programs with foreign labour, would you like to see in Growing Forward 2, to attract the next generation? We need new blood in a number of these sectors.
4:50 p.m.
Chair, Turkey Farmers of Canada
Thanks very much for the question.
It's interesting. I agree that we need new farmers and this influx of new blood. Quite honestly, within our industry there is quite a good influx of generational farmers. That's not really an issue. I think that's common across supply management for the most part, again not to speak for everybody within our industry. The number of our farms, although there have been slight changes in sizes, has been within 5% to 10% in the last 25 years. We've maintained a stable number of farmers within our organization, and a lot of younger farmers are involved in it. I used to be considered one; unfortunately, I'm not any more. But as I look around rooms when I'm in meetings in my home province, half are probably under 40 years old. We're quite pleased with that, and we see a bright future for it.
I understand, in a lot of commodities, the aging nature of the farm and some of the other commodities, and I agree we do need that support in Growing Forward 2.
4:50 p.m.
Vice-President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Stats Canada published a record last year that said that 66% of supply management farms were multi-generational farms, as Mark has said, as compared to 16% of the non-supply-management farms. I think the answer to your question is that the stability that's found and the profitability that's found throughout the dairy chain is the answer to providing the next generation, and we need the next generation of those people who know how to produce food there, and that we have them with the stability that's found in the supply management system.
Thank you.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Jean Rousseau NDP Compton—Stanstead, QC
So you think that supply management has an influence on that?
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Well, as I say, Statistics Canada says that 66% of the supply management farms are multi-generational farms, which indicates that there is a father and a son, one or two generations, and that in non-supply-management farms it's 16%.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Thank you, Chair.
I want to thank all of you for coming out today. I know that's important information you're providing to the committee.
My first question is to Mr. Hames, the canola growers. I don't know if you have already decided in terms of research dollars, but what would be your top priority in terms of a research project that you would see coming out of Growing Forward 2 for the canola producers?
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Canadian Canola Growers Association
That's a difficult question. There are always a lot of fronts to go after.
I'm going to speak about what has maybe been more successful. I think market development—developing the healthy aspects of canola oil—is what's given us the market advantage in the world. Because health is very important to everybody and certainly is a buzzword, I'm a bit of a believer in promoting the healthy aspects and finding out what other good things canola oil can do for you. That's one priority. I call it market development.
Obviously there is a lot of research going into the germplasm and varieties, and that's continuing. The reason I maybe don't talk so much about that is because private industry is looking after that in partnership with us, so it's obviously very important to keep moving that forward.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Okay. Just in terms of the industry itself, how does it contribute to the research? Is there a check-off, or just how does that process work?
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Canadian Canola Growers Association
We have a levy, a voluntary check-off that is submitted to the grower groups. On top of that, the Canola Council—which is different from the group I'm with—has check-offs and levies that they collect from the industry: the crushers, the exporters, and the seed companies.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
In your presentation you also talked about the cost of fertilizer being up by 50%. Is that something recent, or was this over a period of time, or just—
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Canadian Canola Growers Association
It was over 12 months.
It's hard to believe, and I try not to think about it, but my fertilizer price this fall was up 50% from last fall on nitrogen. That's the largest input we have on the farm.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Is that just the fertilizer cost, or does that include freight as well?
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Canadian Canola Growers Association
That's fertilizer.... In my yard, I guess.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
In your yard. And it depends on where the fertilizer comes from, obviously.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Okay.
My colleague talked about the freight rates in particular. I'm from southeast Alberta, in the corner—the great riding of Medicine Hat. We have CP Rail down there, and I hear day after day about the lack of movement of cars for producers. And it doesn't matter, as you indicated, whether it's for grains or for other types of production—because we do have fertilizer production in my riding, as well as methanol and a few other chemical producers—I hear that on an ongoing basis.
We're hoping that this rail review is going to produce some great benefits, not only for producers, but also for the rail companies themselves, to make them much more competitive and get that product to the customer on time.
My next question is for Mr. Maynard. In your presentation to us, you talked about the contribution that the Dairy Farmers of Canada would make in terms of research to Growing Forward; I believe you said $5 million.
