This text is part of the special booklet Defining priorities on the large table of commitments
The election campaign is in full swing and the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) intends to make its voice heard. In a context marked by soaring production costs and increasingly pressing environmental issues, the UPA hopes to receive strong commitments from the parties to better protect agricultural land and the pantry of Quebec.
“During the last few months, there has been a 50% increase in production costs,” said UPA president Martin Caron. Prices for seeds, fertilizers, cardboard boxes, not to mention fuel, have all skyrocketed. “On an annual basis, we’re talking about $1.5 billion in increased costs for agriculture in Quebec,” said the president.
Martin Caron asks the next government to improve its aid, like what is done elsewhere in the world. “In Europe and the United States, governments have automatically increased their support on the agricultural side,” he says. The UPA will ask for an increase in the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for the next ten years. “We are asking for an increase of $500 million, so 50%, because currently the budget is around $1 billion and it has been stagnating for years. »
Legislate to better protect
It is not only with financial aid that the president of the UPA wants to protect the Quebec pantry, but also with laws. The territory devoted to agriculture represents only 2% of the area of Quebec, which is very little compared to other provinces. “If we look at the last 10 years, there are 10,000 hectares that have been granted for uses other than agricultural ones, so even this 2% is starting to be eaten up,” argues Martin Caron. In Ontario, approximately 3.6% of the land is cultivated. And elsewhere in Canada, a little more than 6%, according to him.
“There is a speculative side to these land purchases, because their price has tripled. Over the past year, it has been calculated that 52% of agricultural land transactions were made by non-farmers. It worries us a lot,” he added.
The UPA is calling for an anti-speculation law to prohibit purchases of agricultural land by investment companies or stakeholders in the real estate sector. “In Saskatchewan, they have legislation and there is no purchase of farmland that can be done by investor funds. »
The first National Architecture and Land Use Policy, adopted on June 6, promises to recognize the importance of preserving agricultural areas, but Martin Caron is waiting for action. “We have not yet seen the implementation plan and what indicators will be put in place to really protect our agricultural land. »
Accelerate the ecological shift
While farmers are being asked to adapt to environmental changes, animal welfare and geopolitical issues, the programs are not updated and the budget is not increasing, notes Martin Caron, who is asking for changes. He has ideas for models to put in place: organic certification, for example, is better supported in European countries and the United States. “The State pays 50% of this certification. In Quebec and in Canada, he pays the first years, then after, nothing more. I find it a pity. »
Consequence: farmers go into debt, says Martin Caron. “They invested and were entitled to a small subsidy, but without having added value to their product. We must have an ambitious bio-food policy. We are ready to take up the challenges,” he said.
Ensuring agricultural succession
Young farmers face big budgetary challenges when it comes to acquiring land, machinery and hiring labour. Yet they are passionate and the number of agricultural enterprises increased this year, argues Martin Caron.
“The price of agricultural land has tripled, we must adapt the loan programs. Buying agricultural land and telling yourself that you can make it profitable in 15 to 20 years is no longer possible, you have to be able to obtain longer-term loans at low rates. Some farmers are aging; you have to be able to establish links between the next generation and them, to ensure that there is an agricultural transfer. For that, we need tax exemptions to maintain these companies, ”he insists.
The UPA will have the opportunity to meet the chiefs at the beginning of September to hear their vision for the agricultural future of Quebec. Martin Caron hopes to highlight the “professional, responsible and essential” side that defines, he says, agricultural producers.
500 billion dollars This is the increase requested by the UPA in the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.