Canadian Farmers Want Risk-Management Overhaul

American farmers will receive record-high amounts of farm aid this year, but Canadian producers just want a business risk-management program (BRM) that works

by Rachel Emmanuel and Anchal Sharma – iPolictics

“It’s not predictable, it’s not timely, and it rarely pays out — that’s a challenge,” Greg Sears, a farmer near Sexsmith, Alta., told the Manitoba Co-Operator. “Farmers aren’t looking for handouts, but we do need some things that help us manage our business risk.”

Canadian farmers have long been asking the government to fix existing BRM programs, saying the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted faults in the system.

“Much, much more needs to be done because there are lots of things the government can, and the government should do”

 

Earlier in the pandemic, Marilyn Braun-Pollon, vice-president of Prairie and Agri-business at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), told iPolitics the federal response to help farmers the pandemic has fallen short.

Reiterating comments she made to the House agriculture committee last month, Braun-Pollon said farmers are looking to the feds for more emergency relief to: improve BRM programs; exempt propane, natural gas, and aviation fuel used for farming activities from the carbon tax; reduce red tape on interprovincial restrictions; and focus on trade and market access for all Canadian agri-food products.

“Much, much more needs to be done,” she said in a June interview. “There are lots of things the government can, and the government should, do.”

A survey conducted by the CFIB in May found that only 29 per cent of farmers say the $252 million in federal emergency funding will help their businesses. The survey also found that 48 per cent of farmers are worried about debt and another 40 per cent of agri-business owners were worried the “new normal” will threaten the sustainability of their businesses.