Ritz refuses program change

by SUSAN MANN

The federal government has no intention of fundamentally changing business risk management programs now in the middle of delivering its five-year agricultural policy framework, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says.

But “we’ve been able to massage these programs to make sure that they’re more user friendly, that we get the monies out faster to producers, that we’re able to do cash advances in a more fulsome way than we’ve ever done before,” he explains, noting the country’s agriculture ministers continue consulting with farmers on what’s working and what’s not in the programs.

With all sectors of agriculture “pumping away on all eight cylinders,” he says there isn’t the same demand for change that there was a year ago when everyone was facing hardship.

Ritz made the comments during a press conference in Toronto Friday afternoon at the conclusion of the semi-annual meeting of federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers.

Ontario Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell says at the meeting she outlined the provincial agricultural industry’s concerns that change needs to happen. The federal government is committing to consultations on suggestions for programs to be included in the next agricultural policy framework.

The current agricultural policy framework, Growing Forward, expires in 2013. Ritz says in the first two years of the framework “our governments have initiated more than 100 projects to help the industry maximize resources, innovate, reduce input costs and continue to drive our economy.”

In Ontario, $11 million is helping make the agricultural industry more innovative, competitive and profitable through the commercialization of new agricultural products.

Ritz says they’re in the early stages of shaping the next agricultural policy framework “and we will continue to seek input from the agricultural industry as a whole.”

In the meantime, Mitchell says she’ll continue delivering the message that the business risk management pillar isn’t working for Ontario farmers. “It’s not giving them the predictability, the stability or the bankability that they need.”

Mitchell’s statement contradicts what Ritz had to say about the programs. Ritz says when discussing business risk management programs during the meeting there was table pounding, shoe stomping “and all that great theatre that goes along with it.” But ministers agreed the existing programs are serving the sector.

“We’ve had some $8.5 billion go out over the last couple of years,” he says. “We know there’s a lot of money floating around out there. Is it always hitting the target? We hope that more and more of it does.”

In other news from the meeting, Ritz announced the federal government and provinces are moving ahead with 19 pilot projects to expand inter-provincial trade in meat. The projects, to be located across Canada, “will enhance processors’ ability to sell their safe, high-quality products to more Canadian consumers and in turn increasing the market opportunities of producers themselves.”  BF