AGRI Committee Report

REPORT: YOUNG FARMERS: THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

New Democrats basically agree with the text of the report, however, we believe that specific attention must be paid by the government to the following.

a)    seriously examine the possibility of an interest-free loan program for the purchase of farmland to facilitate the ability of young farmers to start their own farms

b)    lower the size of asset requirements so that young farmers are not unduly hindered from participating in loan programs

c)    revise the criteria for intergenerational transfers to include family members other than just the farm owner’s children

d)    revise the criteria for calculating capital gains on income tax returns so that: i) it is based on the economic value of the farm business and not on the market value and; ii) the capital gains exemption is increased

e)    increase staffing levels to provide more support and training for young farmers, ie: dairy nutritionist

f)     implement a policy of giving preference to local farmers when purchasing food for federal institutions and that firm targets be established, ie: 20% by 2015

g)    revise the Agristability program so that: i) the viability test is eliminated; ii) reference margins are calculated by using the best 3 of past 5 years and; iii) payment delivery is prompt and falls within the same crop year

h)   implement a cost of production program that will place Canadian farmers on a level playing field with international competition (For example, in the tree fruit industry this could take the form of implementing a floor price that protects against dumping into our markets by the Americans)

i)     ensure that no modifications are made to supply managed sectors or to state trading enterprises such as the Canadian Wheat Board when negotiating WTO or bilateral free trade agreements

j)      strengthen the role of the Canadian Wheat Board as the single desk seller of western grain and ensure that the decision making powers affecting its operation are firmly entrenched in farmers hands and cannot be subjected to unwanted political interference

k)    undertake a process to examine supply management as a marketing strategy for other struggling commodity sectors such as the hog industry

l)     undertake a thorough analysis of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its overall effect on all groups of Canadian famers and that the findings be reported back to this Committee no later than May 01, 2011.

m)   negotiate a duty-free quota for the shipment of hormone-free beef to the EU similar to what the US has done, however, this should not come at the expense of supply managed commodities or the Canadian Wheat Board

n)   in addition to the recommendations presented in the Committee’s earlier report entitled Competitiveness of Canadian Agriculture, the federal government should examine the huge price disparity in the beef sector as outlined by Mr. Ian Hutcheon of the Southern Interior Stockmen’s Association on page 28 of this report

The Committee heard much about the concept of food sovereignty in the course of this study. It is believed that too much control over the world’s food supply has been relinquished to multinational corporations and must be reclaimed. New Democrats believe that until all countries respect food sovereignty as the fundamental principle behind agriculture policies we will continue to see the kind of gross injustice and declining farm incomes that characterizes life on farms in ever increasing numbers across Canada and around the world. We believe that the government must not only adopt this principle for Canada’s farmers but also become a strong advocate for this principle at every opportunity on the international stage.