The General Manager of Manitoba Pork is urging the federal government to take action to improve the regulatory competitiveness of Canadian agriculture both domestically and internationally.
Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork, acknowledges, while some regulations such as those related to food safety are necessary, regulations always come with a cost.
We compete in an international marketplace so, when we find that the regulations on Canadian agriculture and specifically we’re talking about hog production today, so when the regulations or the cost of regulations on Canadian agriculture are higher than they are in other countries like the United States or Brazil it means that Canadian farmers are less competitive in the international marketplace and of course that reduces the bottom line for producers here at home. It leaves less money to invest in the growth of the industry and provides fewer jobs.
One of the most cited example is the carbon tax. That’s a regulation or legislation that imposes a tax on Canadian farmers that doesn’t exist in other countries so it’s making it more expensive to heat and cool barns here Canada and in Manitoba and that makes us less competitive. So, we need to look at a way of having that balance of having the regulations in place to meet the safety requirements for food or for workers but not having regulations just for the sake of regulations and imposing that extra cost on Canadian farmers.
~ Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork
Dahl notes governments around the world are taking actions that limit the flow of Canadian agricultural goods, such as U.S. voluntary country of labelling and European regulations that restrict Canadian red meat exports.
He calls on the Government of Canada to do everything in its power to counter those foreign regulations that undermine the competitiveness of Canadian farmers.
