Farmland preservation top OFA priority list for 2023

The start of a new year is often a time for resolution and goal setting. Whether that goal is to walk more steps each day, grow a better tomato or win first place at the 4-H club show, each one requires us to look at what we want to achieve and find ways to get there.

As we start 2023, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is doing that too. As we’re reflecting on the year that was and some of our achievements, we’re also looking to the year ahead and what we’ll be focusing on.

For me personally, the most important accomplishment for OFA over the past year has been the development and launch of the Farmer Wellness Initiative. Research has shown that farmers suffer from stress and mental health issues more than average Canadians, and we now have support available specific to the agriculture sector.

This includes a free bilingual helpline counselling service 24/7/365 by professional counsellors with agricultural backgrounds and training, available at 1-866-2676255, thanks to a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association – Ontario Division and financial support from the provincial and federal governments.

In 2022, OFA was also very active in raising the profile of farmland preservation in Ontario. The newest census numbers paint a stark picture of the speed at which we’re losing prime farmland in Ontario – 319 acres a day – to development and urbanization.

That statistic has been quoted hundreds of times this past year, and combined with our Home Grown campaign, has helped raise awareness of how important farming is to our province in terms of our communities, our economy, and the food that we eat.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of many people and organizations, including the OFA, the provincial government has decided to proceed with its plan to rezone thousands of acres of prime farmland in the Greenbelt to build new houses.

We will, however, continue to advocate for the protection of farmland and the importance of maintaining our ability to grow food, fuel, and fibre here at home. At the same time, we recognize the importance of addressing Ontario’s housing crisis, and we will continue to work with government to propose workable alternative solutions to that issue.

We will also continue to focus on addressing the labour needs of agriculture and rural Ontario and attracting people to an industry that has room to grow. Together, we can help create a more sustainable workforce by prioritizing skill development and training and promoting jobs in the sector.

At the same time, Ontario needs continued investments in critical infrastructure like energy, broadband internet, roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare for rural communities so they can attract and keep new businesses and residents.

As the federal and provincial governments roll out the next agricultural policy framework this year, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, OFA will be looking to see how Ontario agriculture can continue to build on the environmental sustainability gains we’ve already made and help farmers more widely adopt the best management practices that have helped us achieve those gains. historically been higher in Canada than elsewhere in the Western world. Nonetheless, supply management has offered Canadians stable prices. In fact, chicken has been the more stable component of the meat trifecta, which also includes pork and beef. But since early 2020, the meat counter has increasingly become expensive, no matter what protein you are after. Many of these factors are far beyond Loblaw’s control.

It’s a reality that the start of 2023 is very different from the start of 2022. Costs for fertilizer, packaging, fuel, energy and more have all risen as our economy grapples with inflation levels we haven’t seen in years. Interest rates are up, and I believe all farmers are feeling the pinch. OFA will continue to support the industry as we have in past economic tough times.

Winter is meeting season in Ontario, which means we’ll be attending many annual general meetings in our own sector, and also attending conferences and events hosted by other organizations, such as the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and the Good Roads Association. Each of these will present an opportunity to make new friends and engage with politicians and other stakeholders in more informal settings about the issues that matter to farmers and rural Ontario.

Still, call it “chickengate” if you will, but instant public outcries like the one we witnessed with the picture of overpriced chicken breasts do happen for a reason. The last time Canada’s food inflation rate was below our nation’s general inflation rate was in October 2021. While everything in our lives got more expensive, it got significantly worse at the grocery store.

Consumers are actively looking for a scapegoat, one they can relate to. Most consumers barely appreciate how farming, logistics, or even food processing works, but most of us have been to a grocery store. It’s a familiar environment for most of us. Grocery stores are portals to a very complex food system we can barely see and understand, so promptly blaming grocers for overpriced products is instinctive.

Like in many Western countries, the politicization of higher food prices has led to a parliamentary investigation and broad-based inflationary support payments in provinces like Quebec and Prince Edward Island. These payments will likely make things worse, but it doesn’t matter.

Canada has one of the lowest food inflation rates in the Western world. Amongst G7 countries, only Japan has a lower food inflation rate right now. Higher food prices are a global phenomenon, full stop. Even if it makes little sense to blame one grocer, or even one man for our ills at the grocery store, Canadians have every right to be upset. Context is everything, and consumers are on edge and will second-guess anything and everything and have every reason to do so.

The bread price-fixing scandal, which lasted 14 years, the hero-pay debacle during the pandemic, almost forcing consumers to use self-checkout counters, all add up to many Canadians feeling incredibly vulnerable and unprotected.

In December, our Parliamentary Standing Committee in Agriculture and Agri-Food called top grocers to testify in Ottawa as part of an investigation of food inflation. None of the CEOs showed up, including Galen Weston himself. All of them opted to send their CFOs instead. They should have had the decency to show up and oblige our House of Commons, which represents the Canadian people.

The chicken breast incident points to how incredibly delicate things are right now. The food industry, and particularly grocers, are facing a crisis of confidence, no less. Consumers have become hyper-sensitive to any potential evidence suggesting abuse of market power, and grocers will need to navigate the coming months with extreme caution. Showing more public empathy would be a good start.

In the meantime, consumers should know their prices even before they show up at the grocery store, stay calm, and read labels. If a price is beyond what was expected, just walk away. A more affordable substitute in the same store is likely within reach.

Consumers have more power than they believe.