It’s difficult to argue that climate change isn’t the most pressing threat to our agri-food sector. Farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and transporters have all been forced to adapt in real time to extreme weather events, shifting growing seasons and volatile conditions. From droughts to floods to wildfires, climate change has tested the resilience of every link in the food supply chain. Yet, for all the challenges the sector has faced – and will continue to face – due to climate pressures, it has managed to cope reasonably well. Investments in technology, new crop varieties, smarter logistics and infrastructure upgrades have helped absorb many of the shocks. But there is another looming threat – quieter, slower, and far more difficult to reverse – that few in the industry appear prepared for: depopulation. At its core, the food industry is built on one assumption: that there will always be more mouths to feed. Growth in population has long been a proxy for market growth.
Canadian agriculture and agri-food consistently punch above their weight. Agriculture and agri-food contribute $111 billion per year – more than $30 million per day – to the Canadian economy, or over six per cent of our GDP. However, there are still more than 16,000 job vacancies on Canadian farms, and this labour crisis is resulting in avoidable financial strain. With that considered, you would think that smoothing out the regulatory red tape – especially on access to labour for farmers – should be highest priority for federal and provincial governments when the shortage is both critical and chronic, proven with many years of data and evidence. When COVID-19 challenged supply chains, action was taken to secure our food supply, but this level of urgency and priority for the sector appears to have come to an end. Producers and workers need new solutions Agriculture is theoretically prioritized in the immigration regulations, but it continues to be squeezed by on all sides. Agriculture
The Orondis Advanced premix combines a Group 29 and Group 49
Controlled burns can improve soil health and manage vegetation, but they require careful planning and strict safety measures.
Prime Minister Carney is expected to discuss ag when he visits China next week
Comment Wall (2 comments)
You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!
Join Ontario Agriculture
Government of Canada Work-Sharing Program can help Employers avoid job cutting
The Work-Sharing Program (WSP) is designed to help employers and workers avert temporary layoffs. The program provides income support to workers eligible for Employment Insurance benefits and who are willing to work a temporary reduced work week when there is a reduction in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer.
Visit the site shown below to read more about the program and eligibility criteria.
http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1081944193860&lang=en&pagename=CBSC_FE%2Fdisplay&c=Services
Visit the OPIC website (www.opic.on.ca) and click on publications to see the Financial Resources and Support Services brochures that have been developed by OMAFRA for various regions across Southern Ontario.
Hard copies of these brochures as well as brochures for Northern Ontario Regions are available at the OMAFRA resource centers across the province.