CHC continues to advocate on behalf of growers through the Pest Management Regulatory Agency's process for the re-evaluation of crop protection products and for improvements to the policies that guide the PMRA's regulatory decisions.
CHC also continues to advocate for the harmonization of many aspects of the pesticide regulatory system, including maximum residue limits and joint international reviews. In this vein, we also continue to support the Pest Management Centre's minor use pesticide program and pesticide risk reduction activities.
Because plant health, biosecurity, and up-to-date pest risk assessments are all key components to market access and are important to the protection fo the environment, CHC develops and advances crop protection management policies and programs that support market access and promote the economic viability and competitiveness of Canada's fruit and vegetable growers, while providing safe, healthy food to consumers across Canada.
Climate change and growth in international trade also mean the introduction of many new pests in Canadian horticulture. Regulatory agencies must respond to these new invasive pests and plant diseases more quickly than ever before. These challenges are increasingly important and costly to manage as we endeavour to reduce our carbon footprint and feed a growing global population.
CHC urges the federal government to provide adequate funding for the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the Pest Management Centre, to ensure access to appropriate crop protection tools and adequate inspection services. Without increased support, these agencies will be limited in their ability to respond rapidly to invasive pests and plant diseases, which in turn jeopardizes the health of our industry and Canada's ability to meet export targets.
Finally, I would like to provide comment on a few other areas where CHC continues to advocate for our producers' growth in a safe and sustainable way.
CHC urges the government to support research by increasing funds for the Canadian agricultural partnership. During consultations on the governments's next agricultural policy framework, we outlined how we need additional support to advance the environmental sustainability of our sector. We believe that this can be achieved by aligning programming between the Canadian agricultural partnership and the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change.
Access to water and advanced irrigation technology will be critical for fruit and vegetable growers to be able to deal with more severe and more frequent extreme events. Government policy support and infrastructure projects are needed to secure a supply of good, clean water for agricultural purposes. CHC recommends that Canadian agricultural water infrastructure investments be supported by low-cost loans through the newly created Canada infrastructure bank.
CHC also urges the government to support innovation in the horticultural sector. For example, tree fruit growers have put together a proposal that would innovate and grow the apple sector in Canada, which would in turn increase agrifood exports.
We encourage the government to work collaboratively across departments and with industry stakeholders to leverage our combined resources and expertise to ensure that Canada is presented with climate change and conservation polices that are balanced and without unintended consequences for farmers, Canadians, and the global food supply.
Thank you for your time. We look forward to your questions.