From FCC Express, by Trudy Kelly Forsythe
Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers assembled in Manitoba recently for their annual meeting. Under discussion were innovation, regulations, crop variety registration, grain transportation, international strategy and trade, business risk management and emergency management.
The ministers also discussed bee health, the issue of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and the importance of using collaborative efforts to contain the virus. The value of integrated water management practices for sustained growth and risk mitigation was also on the agenda.
Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Dave Solverson and manager of federal provincial relations Ryder Lee attended to talk about labour issues in the cattle industry, recent changes in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the 2014 floods.
The ministers agreed to monitor and report back on the impacts of federal reforms and work with the federal government to address the ongoing needs of this sector.
Gerry Ritz, federal agriculture minister, says collaboration and partnership between Canada and the provinces and territories is essential to ensure the long-term success of Canadian agriculture.
“We continue to work with industry to build a modern, science-based environment that will make Canada a destination of choice for R&D and value-added processing investment,” Ritz says. “By focusing on access to new growth markets and emerging opportunities, we will ensure that the sector continues to serve as an engine of economic growth for the Canadian economy.”
Agriculture contributed $106.9 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2013.
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