Farmers applaud Bill C-359
New inputs would be approved and into farmers’ hands faster
Farmers Forum staff
OTTAWA — Canadian farmers would benefit if they could get their hands on new and improved inputs when they are ready for market. A new federal private member’s bill is designed to make that happen by speeding up approvals for the latest in pest control products, seeds and feed additives.
Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois (LIB — Kings-Hants) introduced Bill C-359 on Oct. 18 to the applause of a number of farm organizations.
Addressing a concern that new and innovative agricultural products take too long to win approval from Canada’s regulatory bureaucracy, the bill would grant these products provisional approval if they’ve already been endorsed by at least two comparable jurisdictions, such as being approved in both the U.S. and E.U. This would allow Canadian farmers to start using the products while Canadian approval is pending.
Mike Pasztor, a cash cropper and vegetable grower south of Tillsonburg, said it struck him as a good move. He pointed out that Michigan vegetable growers benefit from “a lot of herbicides and pesticides” that are currently off limits to Ontario producers.
The Canadian Grain Council lauded the bill for addressing the “domestic regulatory hurdles” that currently place Canadian farmers “at a distinct disadvantage compared to growers in competing jurisdictions.”
The National Cattle Feeders Association and Canadian Cattle Association noted that current regulatory barriers in Canada are preventing their sector from using “cutting edge” feed products, including those that can cut methane emissions from cattle.
“I know we are having a pile of issues on the animal drug side,” South Mountain dairy farmer Yann Bossel observed.
The Grain Growers of Canada described the bill as “pivotal” legislation, by granting farmers timely access to innovative pesticides, herbicides and seeds to help the industry flourish and meet climate change goals.
Blois’s bill has passed its first reading in the House of Commons. It needs to pass second and third readings before going to the Senate for final approval. That process could take months.
