The message has not changed

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2003

(OTTAWA) - As Agri-Food Minister Lyle Vanclief winds up a cross-country tour, meeting with urban and industry groups to promote the Agriculture Policy Framework (APF), the government must realize the message from producers is consistent and unchanged: current business risk management programs must be extended to allow the time needed to get new program details right.

"Government business risk management (BRM) proposals are less effective for farmers than current programs. They will cost more, protect less, and leave us vulnerable to trade challenges," stated Bob Friesen, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). "I have heard from the producer groups that have met with the Minister over the past two weeks. His presentations have failed to address any of their concerns. Our message therefore remains unchanged. We need more time to get it right."

With the March 31 deadline only weeks away Canadian producers still have serious concerns with the federal government's proposed business risk management (BRM) programs in the APF. The program proposals could well result in a decrease of money available to farmers facing a crisis, will not protect producers from long-term price downturns, will increase the vulnerability of Canadian programs to foreign trade challenges, and do not address provincial diversity.

Rather than meeting the original announcement's objective of moving the industry beyond crisis management, these proposals will exacerbate the situation. These concerns of CFA have been echoed by provincial industry groups across the country, as well as by the producers on the National NISA Committee and members of the Minister's own National Safety Nets Advisory Committee.

"We have delivered this message to Minister Vanclief over and over. Rather than trying to address our concerns, he is spending taxpayer money to sell a flawed programs and deliver a confusing message to urban consumers," stated Friesen. "If it were a good program he wouldn't need to sell it - industry would be out selling it for him. Obviously we're not there."

Industry groups do support in principle the proposals in the other pillars of the APF - environmental, food safety, renewal, and science and innovation programs. However the BRM programs do not follow the spirit of the agreement signed in Whitehorse. At the 2003 CFA Annual Meeting, February 27, Vanclief told producers he had "no intention of putting change on hold."

Producers are particularly worried about the chaos that could ensue if inadequate, unfinished programs are introduced mid-year.

"Change for the sake of change is counterproductive," said Friesen. "Implementing a program before the details have been refined, and industry concerns addressed, is simply irresponsible. Let's take the time needed to get the BRM element right instead of trying to meet an arbitrary deadline. One year is all we're asking for. We are confident we can achieve our goal within that year."

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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)