Domestic Agriculture
Every year is a busy year for the Domestic Agriculture file, and this year is no different. From substantive discussions around BRM programming, to frequent government consultations, to improving Canada’s regulatory regime to make our sector more economically competitive, 2023 has been a productive year for our advocacy and policy work.
As we move towards the second half of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP), we want to make sure that BRM programs are flexible, timely, and relevant to our producers. CCA has been engaged in numerous discussions around modifying programs like AgriRecovery and AgriStability to make them more responsive for producers. We are also looking towards the next federal budget to maintain the increase to the interest-free portion of loans under the Advance Payments Program at $350,000, which will help keep producers afloat during high inflationary times.
Outside of BRM discussions, CCA is also engaged with the federal government on issues such as regulatory reform, internal trade, and sustainability reporting. We look forward to another productive year in 2024 as we move these conversations forward.
Key accomplishments/milestones (2023)
- Securing AgriRecovery and AgriStability responses from the federal and provincial governments in Western Canada in response to extreme weather conditions.
- Moving discussions towards expanding Livestock Price Insurance in Maritime provinces.
- Active participation with the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board and Finance Canada in sustainability reporting while reducing any administrative burdens on producers.
- Working with Agriculture Canada and other government departments on declaring regions eligible for Livestock Tax Deferral provisions.
- Close collaboration with provincial and federal governments on continued improvement of forage insurance programming through the Industry Government Forage Insurance Task Team.
2024 Priorities
- Advocating for the interest-free portion of the loans under the Advance Payments Program to be kept at $350,000.
- Amending the Livestock Tax Deferral (LTD) provision in the Income Tax Act to better support producers in climate adaptation by giving them the ability to self-elect while including all classes of cattle, not just breeding herd.
- Continuing to lead discussions on using perennial forage insurance as a tool for producers in mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events.
- Working towards creating a level playing field for cattle producers against other agricultural producers in Canada and those in other countries.
- Ensuring industry-led environmental assessments, such as through VBP+ or CRSB, are accepted under AgriInvest criteria.