Evidence of meeting #26 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 consumers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Campaigner, Humane Society International/Canada
Yes. We know that consumers are quite worried about food safety. Obviously, when they are informed of the fact that the animals are well treated and are less likely to carry diseases, there is an impact.
NDP
Jean Rousseau NDP Compton—Stanstead, QC
Thank you, Ms. Thurston.
My next question is for Mr. Cran.
Do you believe that mandatory labelling for organic products, GMO-containing products, and even imported products, of which there are many in Canada, would have a positive effect on the demand for Canadian products versus imported ones?
President, Consumers' Association of Canada
It's been our observation that people who want organic food are looking for something they don't get. Originally, you're supposed to have more vitamins and what have you. If, for instance, you saw a pear or an apple that was grown purely organically, you probably wouldn't want to buy it. Another good example is broccoli, which is often sold as organic. There are rules to this. I don't have them in my head...30 days without chemicals. You can't grow broccoli that anyone would want to eat without applying fungicides, insecticides, and all the rest.
We've polled on this many times over the last decade. Some people love organic food. The only answer we ever get is, it is just because. We get no reason. All of the tests that have been done anywhere I've ever seen show no difference between the actual products.
So the answer is no, we don't think people would pay extra, or a lot extra, for organic food, and they're not at the moment.
NDP
Jean Rousseau NDP Compton—Stanstead, QC
My next question is for Mr. Newkirk.
You talked about long-term relations with the customers. What was the most important tool in Growing Forward for establishing long-term relations with customers? Or was there something?
Director, Research and Business Development, Canadian International Grains Institute
There are two tools. If you don't mind, I'll mention both.
One tool is the Government of Canada, through the Growing Forward 1, and the AMP, the agriculture marketing program, offset half the costs, so it allowed us to take industry dollars and more effectively spend more time with the customers to develop those relationships side by side with them and to maintain those relationships. I would say that was a key aspect of the support.
The other aspect is the support we received from Agriculture Canada staff, the market industry services branch. For us to compete in a global marketplace—and it is a global marketplace with lots of competition—we need to do this efficiently. To do that, we work together.
I would say it's the support we receive from the day-to-day workings. I met with them before this meeting, and it was good to see them face to face, because we keep doing this work together.
It's both of those pieces, I would say.
Conservative
NDP
Jean Rousseau NDP Compton—Stanstead, QC
Thank you.
My question is for Mr. Taylor and Ms. Moore.
One trend that we have seen in rural regions is menus that are focused on local products, and by the same token serve to promote local producers. Do you think this trend should be extended to a larger public? We have noticed that it creates a synergy between producers and consumers. Sometimes people come for leisure, or as tourists, to visit the farms.
Vice-President, Labour and Supply, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
Among many of our members, production is entirely based on local food principles. However, other members do not produce in that way. It depends on consumer demand and a desire on the part of restaurant owners to open restaurants in these regions close to producers, etc. We believe this works very well for some people, but this model cannot work for everyone because of the logistics inherent in food transportation, etc. In downtown Toronto, where I live, it would be far from easy to produce everything.
February 27th, 2012 / 4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I hope not to have a rant as long as Mr. Eyking's, but hopefully as good as his, though. My experience with organic.... First of all, I'll be honest, I'm biased. It represents less than 1% of my farmers. But often when people actually do the research and read into the rules around organic and how “unorganic” it often is, they're really kind of turned off about it. I'll get back to that in a minute.
Mr. Newkirk, I'd like to ask you a question about Canadian farmers. Do they benefit best when we have tariffs and rules in place, or do they benefit best with wide open markets?
Director, Research and Business Development, Canadian International Grains Institute
That's a very difficult question, but a good one. Canada—
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
It's just not related to us here. We've had a lot of academics come and talk to us about this. I'd like your input on that.
Director, Research and Business Development, Canadian International Grains Institute
Well, certainly, I think that on the grain side of things—and that's mostly where we work—an open and free market is best because it helps flow both ways. We know that our producers can produce some very high-quality product, the things that people desire, and they can do it efficiently and cost-effectively. So any time there's a barrier on either side of it, that just slows it up on the grain side.
On the livestock side, I think there was a necessity to put a system in place so that producers could produce the product that consumers wanted, do it efficiently, and avoid some of the pitfalls, those things that were happening in the 1970s with people getting in and out of the market and losing a lot of money.
It's harder for me to make a judgment on the supply management side because I think it has created value, so I don't want to go that route.
Conservative
Director, Research and Business Development, Canadian International Grains Institute
Okay.
Director, Research and Business Development, Canadian International Grains Institute
In general, open is better.
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
—your experience would be that open is better for Canadians...?
Director, Research and Business Development, Canadian International Grains Institute
Yes, for sure.
Conservative
Brian Storseth Conservative Westlock—St. Paul, AB
Mr. Taylor and Ms. Moore, I have a couple of quick questions for you.
I was a little interested.... What is the percentage that Alberta gets? Is it a percentage that Alberta is given, like 10% of the quota, or are they given a number that they're not allowed to surpass? What is that?
Vice-President, Labour and Supply, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
It's a percentage of the total national production and—
Vice-President, Labour and Supply, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
Chris, do you know...?
Vice-President, Supply Chain, Unified Purchasing Group of Canada Inc., Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
Off the top, I don't....
