The call comes in the wake of an Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) report that showed farmers are being hit hard by soaring costs and a supply chain that shorts producers.
“Someone is making bank on the pain Saskatchewan people are facing at the checkouts, but it’s not Saskatchewan producers,” said Trent Wotherspoon, Shadow Minister for Agriculture & Finance.
“Agriculture is the backbone of Saskatchewan’s economy and is vital in every corner of this province. Producers deserve a proactive government that has their backs.”
The report found the farmer’s share declined on more than half of the food products tracked despite record prices for consumers. The report reinforces that Saskatchewan producers are not the cause of rising grocery bills and raises important questions about fairness and transparency throughout the food supply chain and transportation system.
In response, Beck’s team has outlined actions the government could take to immediately support Saskatchewan farmers.
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Ensure a costing review on rail transport through the CTA and take action to improve cost and performance of rail transportation.
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Push and work with the federal government and Competition Bureau to stop the anti-competitive actions of the foreign-owned meat processing duopoly, and to support building up local meat processing in Saskatchewan, to deliver value and fairness for livestock and consumers and to create local jobs and build our economy.
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Crackdown on illegal foreign land ownership and stop institutional investors such as investment funds and trusts like Calgary-based Avenue Living from buying up and consolidating Saskatchewan farmland. Action is needed now as the creditor protection sell-off of the Monette mega farm proceeds.
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Implement APAS and Sask Crops calls for increased transparency in the food supply chain including the creation of an Export Sales Reporting program, so farmers have timely access to sales and export data.
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Improve business risk management programs by working with producers and the federal government, importantly act to ensure livestock producers have fairness and the backstop they need including the provincial and federal governments cost-sharing premiums along with producers for Livestock Price Insurance, as they do for crop insurance.
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Establish a special committee on Agriculture of the the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly to focus on the economic realities and pressures facing producers and opportunities to take action, including on input costs, farmland ownership, the supply chain and transportation, business risk management programs, and farmland transition for multi-generation farms, families and newer producers that address current challenges and that support the next generation of producers to enter and succeed in agriculture.
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Work with the federal government to increase global trading partners, while building value-add opportunities and projects here at home.
During the Spring Sitting, the government shut down calls from Carla Beck’s team to create a committee in the legislature to hear from, work with and focus on supporting producers in face of these challenges, and they failed to pass legislation to crackdown on illegal foreign farmland ownership.
“We have world-class producers doing all they can, in face of so many challenges outside their control,” Wotherspoon said. “They deserve a government that works with and acts to have their backs but all too often right now they have a government sitting idle and that’s failing to step up and act in their economic interests.
“Clearly, it's time for change.”
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