Agriculture Committee on Sept. 19th, 2017

[Brady Stadnicki]

As was brought up in the earlier testimony, there's been a focus on food waste. Data from the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef shows that downstream, or from the packer on, of 1.24 kilograms of boneless beef, only one kilogram actually gets consumed, so there's a loss there. From that, it's figured out that Canada's beef industry's GHG footprint could be lowered by 5% if food waste were cut in half.

I think looking at some innovative ways at the downstream level could be something that the food policy could tackle.

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, La Prairie, QC]

What about research on organics?

[Jim Robbins]

Well, the organic sector is not currently well supplied with either research or extension of that research. There is an organic round table. There is an organic science cluster. That's all excellent. But in proportion to the size of our industry, I don't think we get the same resources. Enhancing our sustainability is of keen importance to us. That's why we are organic farmers to begin with. We have a science-based method of agriculture too, and we need science and an extension of that science.

That's the chief way I think we could be helped.

[Ashley St Hilaire]

To build on that point, research in organic agriculture benefits all producers. Organics are based on technique, and all farmers use technique and can benefit from each other's technique. It's not proprietary research. This is research that benefits a public good.

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, La Prairie, QC]

I have another question about organic products.

Earlier, you talked about standards that vary from country to country and that hurt our products here. Are there international standards for organic products?

[Jim Robbins]

There are national standards. In the case of the European Union, there is an international standard that is particular to that jurisdiction. Governments negotiate equivalency agreements. We have an equivalency agreement with the European Union. We have one with the United States. We also have one with Japan.

That's how an international standard is enforced. Negotiators get together and decide on the essential elements of each of the national standards, and they don't allow trade unless those standards are deemed to be equivalent.

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, La Prairie, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you.

Ms. Quach, you have the floor for four minutes.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to come back to an issue you have previously addressed: food waste.

My colleague Ruth Ellen Brosseau introduced Bill C-231, Fight Against Food Waste Act, which is probably familiar to you. Unfortunately, the Liberals did not believe in the bill and voted against it. Actually, it was not that they did not believe in it, but instead they wanted to integrate it into the food policy. However, I see nothing in this policy about it.

How can organic food contribute to food security? Many people turn to food banks and may not be able to afford food. How can organic food enhance food security while contributing to good human health?

The impact of sustainable development on lands and soils has been discussed at length. You gave the example of nitrogen fertilizer, which accounts for 70% of the emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. On your end, how can you promote good human health in a sustainable way?

[Ashley St Hilaire]

You covered a lot of topics there, so I'll do what I can to jump in and say something.

Organic agriculture contributes to food security by ensuring that the land the food is grown on can grow food for generations to come. The practices that are used in organic agriculture are about building soil fertility and resilience, especially in the face of climatic extremes. There is research to show that organic systems are more resilient in the face of extreme weather events. There are a number of very unique stories of how organic producers have found ways to make their products more available to the everyday consumer.

Direct marketing is one way to do that. It's one of the ways to bring down the cost and it's also a way to bring together consumers and farmers. There's an amazing book called The New Farm, which is about an organic farm just outside of Toronto that has partnered with The Stop, which is a community food centre. It's a model for all food banks across Canada. They have been regularly supplying them with organic produce.

Part of the movement of organic agriculture in Canada is about bringing the consumer closer to the farmer and building relationships. There are a number of models out there. We can send you some more information on some of the examples from the organic industry about the ways to strengthen food security and to make sure that organic products are available to all Canadians.

Again, as we said, it comes to scarcity. If a product is scarce, it will inevitably be more expensive.

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

How do you ensure that the information circulates? You said you have an issue with reviewing the standards because the government does not pay for it. You are asking for permanent funding for this, but for how many years? Is it one year, two years?

[Jim Robbins]

It takes two years to review the standard. Every five years, the standard has to be revised and updated. That's partly the government's own regulation or demand but it's also in these trade agreements. Those standards have to be reviewed and viewed to be equivalent every five years. It's a process that takes about two years.

I would just like to indicate that it's not a process of two years because the organic industry demands it; it's a process that takes two years because it's a government process, and that's what it takes.

The creation of the Canadian organic standards and the first review of them were funded by the government through programs, but once the last review of the standards was completed, in 2015, the government said it wouldn't be doing that anymore. The industry relies on these standards and has to have these standards, and it is very expensive for the industry to self-finance them.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Thank you, Mr. Robbins.

I will close using the chair's privilege to make a statement.

As a lot of my colleagues know, I am a producer. I've been a conventional grower for 20-some years. In the last six years, I've been certified organic in my production. I did it because it kind of forced me to adopt better practices and also because there was a demand for it from my customer base. I've been able to keep the prices the same in my place, because they were used to my prices. Everybody said, “Oh, you're going to increase your price”, which I didn't.

Just to follow up on your question, have you been told when the next review of the Canadian standards will be?

[Jim Robbins]

The next completion of the review is 2020, so it has to be initiated in 2018.

[The Chair, Liberal, Pat Finnigan]

Okay. We have made note of that.

Thank you very much.

See you on Thursday.