Thursday, July 25, 2019

Canadian farm subsidies lagging



Canadian farm subsidies are below average among nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and significantly lower than 20 and 30 years ago.

Supply management, particularly for dairy, accounts for the lion’s share.

“Over time, there has been an increasing emphasis on general service support to the (agriculture) sector through programs that target industry-led research and development, adoption of innovation in food and agriculture, and marketing initiatives,” the report said.

It recommends that this emphasis on research, innovation and marketing initiatives continue.

Canada’s Producer Subsidy Equivalent is nine per cent now compared with 18 per cent about 20 years ago and 36 per cent about 30 years ago.