(OTTAWA) – The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is praising the MPs of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture for unanimously supporting a motion to extend the Own Use Imports (OUI) program for another two years while work proceeds on developing better options. The motion was brought forward by Conservative MP James Bezan.

“This is a demonstration of what can be accomplished when our politicians work together on policies that benefit Canadian farmers,” said Bob Friesen, CFA President. “I want to thank MP David Anderson for the work he has done on this issue, Mr. Bezan for proposing this motion and all the members of the committee for supporting it.”

The motion mirrors recommendations from the OUI Task Force which suggest OUI be continued through the pilot and evaluation phases of any new program. The decision on whether the OUI program should be phased out must be made after the evaluation of new options indicates they are adequate.

Under the OUI program farmers may import small quantities of pest control products for their own use, provided the active ingredients of the product have already been approved for use by Health Canada. This allows Canadian farmers to access lower cost generic versions of safe and effective pest-control products. The cost of pest control products is one factor in the rising cost of production that is negatively affecting farm incomes.

The OUI Task Force is exploring a number of positive initiatives. These initiatives include: a new program for own use importations, initiatives to promote the registration of generics and improve grower access to generic and innovator products, and steps towards harmonization including steps towards a NAFTA pesticide label. The Task Force needs to continue its work with all urgency so these initiatives are not lost.

“With the income crisis facing farmers, we cannot afford to let any farmer-beneficial programs like OUI lapse while we work on developing better programs and we cannot phase them out until the new programs have demonstrated they are superior,” said Friesen. “The members of the Agriculture Committee have listened to farmers and recognized that. CFA is urging the Minister of Health to heed the committee decision.”

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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.