Government regulatory policies and trade protectionism are the biggest barriers to Canada’s agricultural industry, according to a new Angus Reid survey. And a vast majority of farmers have faith in either government or the private sector to solve them.Fully 61% of sector stakeholders identify the policy and regulatory environment in Canada as the biggest risk to the agri-food sector while 50% identify trade barriers and protectionism — about the same as drought, floods and wildfiresOn the flip side, fewer than 22% have confidence in government or private sector solutions to solve the problems.The results were consistent in both the Eastern and Western parts of the country..“These three issues are viewed as largely already causing challenges, and not easily overcome,” Angus Reid said in a news release.It comes as Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial minsters of agriculture will convene this week in Whitehorse, Yukon “with no shortage of topics to discuss,” it added.“The ripple effects throughout the supply chain, affecting civil society and government efforts to ensure food security are perhaps overlooked by many Canadians, but nonetheless affect millions,” it said..Despite the doom and gloom, industry optimism remains relatively high. Those in the sector are three-times as likely to say they’re optimistic (62%) about the direction of Canadian agriculture than pessimistic (21%).Half (47%) say Canada is well-positioned to take advantage of rising incomes globally and the subsequent expansion in demand. Another one-in-three (32%) say Canadian agriculture is in a “fair” position, while one-in-five take a negative view.Beyond the top three threats to the sector already mentioned — 35 were identified — input affordability, farm income and debt, human resources, and climate change were all chosen by at least one-in-three survey participants, making up a secondary tier of risks..The survey said labour shortages during COVID-19 have proven to be chronic in the years since. Angus Reid partnered with the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute to poll 549 individuals working in the agriculture sector, including 200 farmers, more than 50 members of government, as well as others across the industry. It noted that in some cases smaller sample sizes are valuable but should be interpreted with caution.“Some may picture red barns and white fences when they think of it, but the Canadian agriculture sector is a vast, modern, and complex cornerstone of the nation’s economy,” Reid said.“Considering each of the top three issues identified by stakeholders, at least 82 per cent say they lack confidence in the current policy framework in place to overcome or mitigate them.”
