(Longueuil) Some twenty farms in Quebec welcome the public on Saturday and Sunday for the Doors Open Let’s Eat Local event, headed by the Union des producteurs agricole (UPA).
Posted at 5:27 p.m.
Winegrowers, beekeepers, nut growers, dairy farmers and market gardeners are among those who will give tours of their workplaces.
For the general president of the UPA, Martin Caron, this is an opportunity to popularize agricultural practices, particularly with regard to the environment, in a festive context. There are indeed games for children and, above all, the possibility of tasting local products.
Beyond these days, Mr. Caron encourages citizens to use the Mangeons local application, which allows, thanks to geolocation, to discover the agricultural producers of Quebec or those who use their products, such as restaurateurs.
Succession, debt and urban sprawl
While the leaders of the main political parties in the election campaign in Quebec came to meet the UPA in the last few days, Mr. Caron underlined the importance of agriculture and agri-food.
“Each one, in turn, came to tell us that during the pandemic, people realized that it was an essential service,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press from Trois-Rivières.
He points out that he took the opportunity to highlight the main issues in the sector, starting with the next generation of farmers.
The average age here in Quebec is about 56 for our agricultural producers. We need to have programs that support the next generation of farmers.
Martin Caron, General President of the UPA
Mr. Caron also mentions the motivation of agricultural producers to adapt to environmental issues, but that they are not supported enough and, above all, they are less so than in other countries.
“Unfortunately, we are creating debt on our agricultural businesses. Moreover, over the last 10 years, the agricultural debt here in Quebec has doubled. It went from 12 billion to 25 billion,” he adds.
By comparison, farm receipts are $10.6 billion and net profits $1.3 billion.
The rise in interest rates is therefore particularly felt for farmers.
“There is a stress that producers are currently experiencing and that is why we have also asked for budget increases to ensure that producers are supported,” he pleads.
The general president of the UPA also recalls the risks associated with urban sprawl when agricultural land represents only 2% of the territory.
“We don’t have more than that. Every time we cut corners for industrial parks, for other road infrastructures, we are encroaching on this agricultural territory. When we do that, we eat away at Quebecers’ pantry,” he points out, adding that the land represents the basis of the province’s food self-sufficiency.
The UPA represents some 42,000 agricultural producers in Quebec as well as forestry producers.