Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meeting of Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Agriculture
NEWS RELEASE – ACTION PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE MOVING FORWARD
TORONTO, January 24, 2002 - Canadian agriculture Ministers said today considerable progress has been made toward a formal agreement on a 21st century agricultural policy that will contribute to the long-term success of the industry. The announcement was made at the conclusion of the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers' meeting in Toronto. *
Ministers discussed common goals for a national action plan for an agricultural policy framework that was agreed to in principle at their annual conference last June. The framework is composed of five integrated elements - food safety and quality, environment, science, sector renewal and risk management - that will provide an integrated policy approach aimed at branding the industry as the world leader in food safety, innovation and environmental protection.
At the Toronto meeting, Ministers received the final Safety Net Evaluation Report from the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Safety Nets.
Ministers committed to explore, jointly with stakeholders, new future-oriented directions in risk management, integrated nationally with the other elements of the Agricultural Policy Framework, that will encourage risk management by farmers, provide incentive for participation, reflect the whole business, and comprehensively address risk. This work will respect all principles of the Whitehorse Agreement.
It was agreed that risk management, when combined with the other elements of the policy framework, would contribute to addressing challenges and capturing new opportunities.
Ministers mapped out the steps necessary in coming months to ensure that at their annual meeting this June they are in a position to move forward with a formal umbrella accord that will shape Canada's long-term agricultural policy.
The next steps include continuing and expanding a dialogue with producers and other stakeholders, including consumers, to ensure the policy direction will achieve the intended goal of improving the prosperity and sustainability of the agriculture and agri-food sector.
* Quebec disagrees with the present communique.