Viewpoint on the shortcomings of agricultural policies

During their annual meeting at the beginning of this month, representatives of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) decided to suspend the tourist season for snowmobilers in order to protest the government’s plan to reduce the costs of La Financière agricole. The dispute pertains to the exclusion of the costs of the least competitive farms when calculating the compensation to be paid out to farmers. Since Quebec’s Department of Agriculture is contemplating a new agricultural policy and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada must renew its five-year plans next year, now is a good time to scrutinize current policies like supply management, collective marketing and Farm Income Stabilization Insurance, and to think about the direction we should take in the future.

Links of interest

Former UPA economist proposes reforms based on entrepreneurship in document published by the Montreal Economic Institute :: Media Release, December 15, 2010