Fresh Produce Alliance welcomes passage of Bill C-280 in the House of Commons

Oct 27, 2023

Ottawa, ON – The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) and the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) were thrilled to see Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, passed at third reading in the House of Commons.

Bill C-280, sponsored by Member of Parliament (MP) Scot Davidson, aims to establish a deemed trust, a vital financial protection mechanism for fresh produce sellers in Canada. This mechanism will help secure payment in the event of buyer bankruptcy, providing stability and support to the industry while safeguarding Canadian food security.

"After a long road to get here, the passage of Bill C-280 in the House of Commons with all-party support is a critical milestone in ensuring the stability and financial security of the fruit and vegetable sector," said CPMA President Ron Lemaire. "We are grateful to all Members of Parliament for their support of the Bill, and greatly appreciative of the efforts of MP Davidson in moving this legislation forward."

The perishable nature of fresh produce, coupled with the industry’s typically longer payment terms, leave sellers unable to recover losses when faced with buyer bankruptcy. The case of Lakeside Produce in Leamington, Ontario, earlier this year serves as a reminder of the urgent need for a financial protection tool to safeguard the fruit and vegetable sector.

"Particularly now, when Canadians are increasingly concerned about the cost of food, it is so important for the government to take action to strengthen food security in Canada,” agreed FVGC President Jan VanderHout. “The positive impact of Bill C-280 for the fresh produce industry cannot be overstated. The establishment of a deemed trust for all fresh produce sellers will help to ensure that they can continue to support local economies across the country and to provide Canadians with our safe, nutritious fruit and vegetable products.”

Bill C-280 will now be referred to the Canadian Senate for debate and votes. FVGC, the CPMA, and DRC call on all Senators to recognize the positive impact that Bill C-280 can have on the fruit and vegetable sector and to prioritize the passage of this important legislation.

“The fresh produce sector has been working towards the establishment of an effective financial protection mechanism for many years,” said DRC President and CEO, Luc Mougeot. “We are hopeful that the Senate will build on the momentum of the cross-party support we’ve seen in the House of Commons and move swiftly to pass Bill C-280 into law.”

Source : FVCG

Video: Western Canadian Agriculture: Hard Times Made the World's Best Farmers

Western Canadian agriculture produced the most advanced farmers in the world not through abundance but through adversity. The crow rate fell. The wheat price went nowhere. The brown envelopes stopped.

When the subsidies disappeared, the bad farmers left and the good ones stayed. And the ones who stayed could not just grow wheat anymore. They started growing lentils and canola and peas and flax and faba beans. They built crop rotation. They got serious about agronomy because there was no government backstop. That process produced the Western Canadian agriculture Dennis Bulani describes in this clip: the most advanced, most educated farming culture in the world.

His contrast with Iowa corn and soybean farmers is sharp. At a DeKalb farmer meeting in Okoboji, Iowa, he asked what crop rotation they ran. Beans on corn stubble, corn on bean stubble. How do you fertilize? The co-op agronomist handles it. Have you considered other crops? No need. We make so much money on corn and soybeans. Western Canadian agriculture was never allowed that comfort. And now those Iowa farmers are watching soybean markets lock up with China and corn prices slide, and they do not have the agronomy knowledge or the research base to pivot. Western Canadian farmers adapted on a dime because they had done it before.

Dennis also makes the case that Western Canadian agriculture keeps adapting in real time. Low commodity prices over the past year have pushed growers to look seriously at precision spot-spray technology. He knows a neighbor who bought a sprayer with the seeing-eye system and sprayed only 80 out of 320 acres. As a chemical retailer Dennis acknowledges that will affect his sales. He supports it anyway, because if it advances Canadian agriculture and makes farmers money, that is a good outcome.

The lesson Dennis draws from the tale of two farms: continuous improvement is the only durable strategy. When canola was $22 a bushel some growers went to Arizona instead of the Crop Production Show. When the price came down those same growers came back to the research and the discipline. Products do not go on Rack Petroleum's shelves unless they pass a replicated trial first. That is what Western Canadian agriculture built through hard times: farmers who do the work whether the times demand it or not.

Dennis Bulani is CEO of Rack Petroleum and Ultimate Yield in Biggar, Saskatchewan. Dan Aberhart hosts GTF Productions, Western Canadian Agriculture's foremost live briefing platform and its foremost AI training platform for ag operators