Bridge funding is number one priority

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2002

(OTTAWA) - The Board of Directors of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has concluded a meeting in Ottawa this week with a message to federal and provincial governments: make short-term concerns your number one priority.

"Let's be clear: CFA always has, and always will, support a long-term approach to agriculture," stated Bob Friesen, CFA President. "But a long term approach is irrelevant if the barriers in front of us right now, like the effects of the U.S. Farm Bill, have not been addressed."

The CFA Board of Directors met this week with federal and provincial agriculture ministers to press their concerns about the APF and the lack of action on immediate crises.

"Grains and oilseeds producers have seen a loss of roughly $1.3 billion due to trade injury. Compound that with the lasting effects of the drought," said Friesen. "CFA has joined with other groups across the industry, including Grain Growers of Canada and the supply management commodity groups to call for trade injury compensation."

The CFA is disappointed that the final communiqué from the ministers following the federal-provincial meeting did not address bridging assistance for Canadian farmers.

"The success of the APF is contingent on getting the industry there," said Friesen. "The APF has been touted as Canada's answer to the U.S. farm bill. But to date the APF does not have any dollars attached to it. It does not address the challenges facing farmers today."

"There are five weeks until the next federal-provincial ministers' meeting in June, where they are expected to sign an accord on the APF. Farmers hope ministers will use that time to address short-term needs or the long term will be irrelevant, because one is no good without the other."

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BACKGROUNDER ATTACHED The attached backgrounder compares elements of the Agricultural Policy Framework and the U.S. farm bill. The file is in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.

Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.

Contact:

Kieran Green, CFA Communications Coordinator, (613) 236-3633, info@cfafca.ca

Bob Friesen, CFA President, (204) 724-0824 (cell)

Brigid Rivoire, CFA Executive Director, (613) 236-3633 / (613) 715-3113 (cell)