Mr. Speaker, last June the Minister of Agriculture came to Larry and Debbie Hipple's farm in Beamsville, Ontario to announce the government's plan to further develop environmentally responsible farming practices and fuelling growth and profitability for the Canadian agriculture and agrifood sector.
I am pleased that the minister came to Niagara to announce a $100 million program to facilitate implementation of environmental farm plans and a $54.5 million strategy to give Canadian producers better access to minor use and reduced risk pesticides. These initiatives are important to my riding of Erie--Lincoln as a major supplier and producer of world class tender fruits and wines.
These measures will provide farmers with better tools and realize the environmental goals of the agricultural policy framework. By giving Canadian producers access to more environmentally sound technologies for pest control we are further positioning Canadian agriculture for profitability and prosperity. These measures will also go a long way towards addressing the expectations of consumers for environmentally responsible food production.
I wish to congratulate the minister and his department for helping Canadian farmers protect both our environment and our consumers.