Today, provisions addressing environmental issues are of critical importance, as climate change poses the primary threat to Canadian agriculture. Market gardeners must cope with more frequent and intense weather events, whether it be drought, as was the case last year, or the extreme rains and late frost of 2023.
At the same time, pressure from crop pests is increasing, given the presence of new pests and growing resistance to pesticides. Moreover, when it comes to risk management, the pesticides regulatory directorate plays a vital role.
We are taking this opportunity, once again, to call for greater collaboration from this government body. It must demonstrate greater responsiveness in the current climate context.
In conclusion, by emphasizing prevention and preparedness, we will increase resilience and adaptability while mitigating the stress caused by uncertainty. Essentially, investing in prevention and risk reduction strategies boosts productivity, profitability and the adoption of innovative technologies and practices.
Given the uncertain geopolitical context and climate change, vegetable growers need flexible programs more than ever.
Here are our recommendations.
We recommend increasing agricultural investments to 2% of public spending. This increase should primarily be used to strengthen business risk management programs.
We recommend improving the AgriStability program. The current trigger threshold does not adequately cover the losses incurred by businesses. We recommend raising this threshold to 85% of the reference margin.
We recommend reviewing the AgriRecovery framework. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, and their financial repercussions are immediate. The implementation timelines for these initiatives are long and cumbersome.
We recommend making the AgriInsurance program more flexible. Agricultural realities vary from region to region. It is therefore crucial to give provinces the necessary latitude to adapt crop insurance coverage to the specific risks their producers face.
Finally, we recommend increasing financial support for research and technology transfer. Climate change requires significant adjustments to agricultural practices.
Thank you for your attention.