New committee created to promote growth in Ontario's farming and agri-food industry

Friday, November 28, 2014

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario’s farming and agri-food industry is getting help in meeting Premier Kathleen Wynne’s goal of creating 120,000 new jobs and doubling the sector’s growth rate by 2020.

On Thursday at the Premier’s annual Summit on Agri-Food, Wynne announced the creation of a new Growth Steering Committee to be co-chaired by Deb Stark, deputy agriculture, food and rural affairs minister, and Amy Cronin, Ontario Pork chair.

The committee will identify and pursue future opportunities and design a growth measurement system, according to an Ontario agriculture ministry press release issued Nov. 27. It will bring together industry and government leaders and experts to identify opportunities to help the industry meet the growth and job creation challenge Wynne issued at last year’s summit.

Supporting growth and innovation in the province’s agri-food industry is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario, the release says.

Bryan Bossin, senior press and communications adviser to Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Jeff Leal, says by email one of the first jobs of the committee will be to identify priority growth projects. The committee will report its progress and next steps at the Premier’s summit next year.

The agriculture ministry will support the committee by providing technical information and expertise “to guide members as they pursue opportunities for growth in the agri-food sector,” Bossin says.

Newly elected Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Don McCabe says “it’s vitally important that we continue to focus on growth in this province. Growth is absolutely vital in the agricultural industry. When you’re the number one sector (in Ontario) and everybody else globally is continuing to move on, we cannot afford to stop and relax.”

McCabe says in his opinion focusing on growth includes:

• Removing barriers to bring in new processing into Ontario.
• Bringing new market developments for the farm.
• Remove undue and unnecessary regulations at both the farm level and through the entire agri-food system.

As for how achievable the Premier’s goal is for the sector, McCabe says, “sometimes you have to put a goal out there just to see what you can do with it.”

Leal says in an email forwarded by his press and communications adviser “I believe we can achieve these ambitious targets if we work together.” BF