Round table dialogue on Bill C-18 helps inform government priorities
March 13, 2014 – Kamloops, BC – Government of Canada
Pierre Lemieux, Parliamentary Secretary to Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, and Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, held a round table discussion today in Kamloops, BC with stakeholders from Canada's livestock industry to discuss proposed changes that will modernize Canada's agriculture legislation as outlined in the Agricultural Growth Act (Bill C-18). Bill C-18 amends the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (AMPA) and the Farm Debt Mediation Act (FDMA) to streamline delivery of cash advances under the Advance Payments Program.
The proposed modernization will reduce red tape for farmers, allow administrators who deliver the program to issue cash advances on multiple commodities, expand the types of security that can be used for an advance, and allow for the addition of eligible commodities through regulations, such as certain types of breeding stock intended for market.
The Act also includes a new licensing and registration regime for animal feed and fertilizer operators and establishments, increased monetary penalties for violations, stronger controls for agricultural products at the border and requirements for more stringent record keeping to enhance safety.
The Act entered Second Reading on March 3, 2014.
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Jeff English
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