Manseau, Quebec, November 9, 2012 - This week, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture), met with Quebec’s agriculture and agri-food industry to discuss a variety of issues, including the benefits of Canada’s new agricultural policy, Growing Forward 2.
“The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadian producers and processors in Quebec grow and remain competitive,” said Minister Ritz. “Growing Forward 2 is just one way our government is helping position industry to respond to challenges and capitalize on opportunities in the future.”
In addition to ongoing generous multi-year funding for business risk management programs, Growing Forward 2 also includes more than $3 billion in strategic initiatives for innovation, competitiveness, and market development. Growing Forward 2 is an important federal, provincial, and territorial partnership to build sector productivity, profitability, and competitiveness to ensure the sector’s long-term prosperity. Increased provincial flexibility in Growing Forward 2 will also help Quebec producers and processors address specific challenges and take advantage of regional opportunities.
“Canada’s agriculture and agri-food industry plays a vital role in keeping our economy strong by creating jobs, stimulating growth, and favouring investments,” said Minister Paradis. “Through GF2, our government continues to support producers and processors in Quebec and across Canada.”
During their visit, Ministers Ritz and Paradis met with the Union des producteurs agricoles, the Association des producteurs de canneberges du Québec, and the Fédération des producteurs de porcs du Québec (FPPQ). They also had the opportunity to visit both VegPro International in Sherrington, Quebec, and Atoka Cranberries in Manseau, Quebec.
Their discussions with the FPPQ supplemented the close work federal and provincial governments have undertaken with the Canadian Pork Council and other hog sector stakeholders to clearly assess the challenges facing the hog sector in Canada. The ministers also discussed the many initiatives that the federal and provincial governments and industry have agreed on to quickly help the hog sector deal with short-term financial pressures.
Following a number of discussions by telephone, Minister Ritz also met with his new Quebec counterpart, the Honourable François Gendron, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Minister Ritz welcomed Minister Gendron to the file and expressed his desire for a continued close working relationship.
Federal and provincial ministers are working together to help Quebec livestock producers deal with the impacts of drought. Producers affected by drought in Quebec have access to support through business risk management programs, specifically AgriInsurance, AgriStability, and AgriInvest. These programs are the primary source of government assistance to help address production and income losses resulting from extreme weather events. In addition, the federal government has designated a number of the most severely affected regions in Quebec as eligible under the Livestock Tax Deferral provision of the Income Tax Act, allowing farmers who sell part of their breeding herd due to drought in these designated regions to defer a portion of sale proceeds to the following year. Federal and provincial governments are working to assess whether an initiative could be supported under the AgriRecovery framework.
To learn more about Growing Forward 2, please visit agriculture.canada.ca/GrowingForward2.
For more information, media may contact:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Margaux Stastny
Director of Communications
The Office of the Minister of State (Agriculture)
613-995-1007
Jeff English
Press Secretary
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
