Recommendation 2.1

The Committee recommends that Statistics Canada add as promptly as possible questions in the Census of Agriculture questionnaire that will enable the establishment of a profile of young farmers in Canada.

Recommendation 2.2

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada review the eligibility criteria of the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act, including the six year of farming experience limit, in order to take into consideration the age of applicants.

Recommendation 2.3

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada improve the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act or create new programs by adding tools similar to those available in provincial programs, such as interest rate rebates, in order to improve access to credit for new farmers.

Recommendation 2.4

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada conduct an analysis of how the farm transfer savings plan recommended by the Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec could be designed and implemented, and that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada report the outcome of this analysis to the Committee within three months.

Recommendation 2.5

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada offer to cooperate with the provinces, notably through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, in order to consider the possibility of including agricultural courses or introducing agricultural issues into existing programs or courses.

Recommendation 2.6

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in collaboration with industry stakeholders and the provinces, encourage “buy local—buy Canadian” campaigns in order to promote local food consumption across the country. The Committee also recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada launch a national campaign to promote the benefits that agriculture provides to Canada and Canadians.

Recommendation 3.1

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in cooperation with the provinces, make changes to AgriStability, AgriInvest, and AgriInsurance to specifically make them more responsive to agricultural industries in crisis and to better meet the needs of young and new farmers. The Committee also recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, along with its provincial counterparts, expand AgriInsurance to the livestock sector and that the design and protection provided for this sector could be similar to the cattle price insurance program in Alberta.

Recommendation 3.2

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) provide an action plan that will describe how the department will implement the recommendations set out in Chapter 5 of the Auditor General of Canada report tabled in April 2010, and specifically how regional research will be integrated in its Science and Innovation Strategy. The Committee also recommends that AAFC provide a formal response to the Committee on the Farmers for Investment in Agriculture coalition proposal to restore the AAFC research budget to 1994 levels in constant dollars.

Recommendation 3.3

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in consultation with stakeholders, set a goal to make the agricultural sector a major provider of energy by 2020 and work with the provinces to implement a program to assist the production of renewable energy from agricultural products and by-products.

Recommendation 3.4

The Committee recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada undertake a thorough analysis of the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on the agricultural industry and report back to the Committee.

Recommendation 3.5

The Committee reiterates that the government look into the level to which imported agricultural products do not meet the same standards required of Canadian producers and recommends that the government takes the necessary steps to implement motion M-460.

Recommendation 3.6

The Committee recommends that, with the view that monopolies have been detrimental to Canadian farmers, the government look into other models, including the U.S. model, that deal with competition and that allow the government to exert more power to break up, or otherwise manage, monopolies in the agricultural industry.

Recommendation 3.7

The Committee recommends that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency continue harmonization efforts with the United States and other countries to reduce the competitive disadvantages faced by the Canadian agri-food sector and to ensure that Canadian farmers have timely access to the latest technologies, including veterinary drugs and pest management products.