Canada needs a «national food strategy» to ensure all Canadians have access to affordable, nutritious and safe food, says the head of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. To that end, the CFA is proposing a plan that would support Canadian agriculture as the "multi-faceted, interlinked and sustainable’’ source of that food. Laurent Pellerin, president of the CFA, who spoke to the annual general meeting of the Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan in Regina yesterday, said one-size-fits-all policies don’t work for Canadian producers. "For years, government tried to put in place programs and policies that defined (all) farmers to be the same,’’ said Pellerin, a Quebec hog producer, before his speech yesterday evening. "We are very different. Production is different, temperature and soil conditions are different — 10 provinces, 16 different commodities.’’ At its annual meeting in February, the CFA endorsed the national food strategy, entitled the Future of Food, which calls for the Canadian food system to be driven by «diversified, Canadian-owned innovative and profitable farm, processing and distribution sectors.» "With the national food strategy, we find some common ground to develop a strategy to have a better link with our consumers, and tell people in this country how good our food is,’’ Pellerin said.
Agro Perspectiva
