CFIB welcomes action plan for farmers
Regina, July 9, 2010 - The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is encouraged by the announcements made today by Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) Agriculture Ministers. CFIB had called for a concrete plan to deal with farmers' serious concerns with AgriStability and to address the significant challenges many producers are facing from extreme weather conditions.
"CFIB is pleased governments are acknowledging our agri-business members' immediate challenges by providing AgriRecovery programming of $450 million and are hopeful it will be delivered in a timely manner and meet producers' needs," said Marilyn Braun-Pollon, CFIB's vice-president of agri-business. "While we appreciate the assistance through AgriRecovery, we believe outstanding concerns with programs like AgriStability must be addressed. We plan to continue to push governments to deal with the problematic areas within AgriStability such as: poor customer service, complex and large volumes of paperwork, timeliness issues, and predictability - concerns identified by agri-business owners across Canada."
When 1,081 CFIB agri-business members were surveyed about what role government should play in managing risk at the farmgate, addressing actions of foreign governments was the top priority followed closely by assisting in managing risks beyond a producers' control (e.g. flooding). "CFIB therefore commends Minister Ritz's recent trip to China which resulted in an important agreement for Canadian beef producers," noted Braun-Pollon. "Producers facing extensive flooding in Western Canada will be encouraged the provincial and federal governments acted quickly to deliver much needed assistance."
"While we recognize governments cannot solve many of the global problems that have impacted the agricultural sector, they can certainly continue to address the competitive challenges in the Ag sector by tackling such issues as: reducing red tape, reducing the total tax burden and addressing agri-business succession," concluded Braun-Pollon. "We look forward to working with FPT governments to identify best ways to inspire innovation and creativity in the agri-business sector for the long-term."
For more information or to interview CFIB's Marilyn Braun-Pollon, please call 306 757-0000 or 800-992-2342
CFIB is the business voice for agriculture, representing 7,200 independently owned and operated agri-businesses in the country, the majority of which are primary producers.
