For exportable commodities such as canola, pork, beef, seafood and wheat, trade is a vital component in creating value for products produced by Canadian agriculture. Canada is an export-dependent country with vast agricultural production and production potential, yet a population of just 40 million.
According to CAFTA, Canada is the world’s fifth largest exporter of agricultural products and agri-food, after the much more populous European Union, the United States, Brazil and China. Canada exports $82.2 billion in agriculture and agri-food products annually, and about half of everything Canada produces is exported as primary or processed food and beverage products.
In January, Real Agri Study When we asked Canadian farmers and ranchers how they believed certain policies were impacting their operations, 20 per cent of producers said trade and market access had a very positive impact. 32% believe it has had a somewhat positive impact. In contrast, 31 percent said trade and market access had a neutral impact, 12 percent said it had a somewhat negative impact, and 5 percent said it had a very negative impact on farms.
Personally, I was surprised to see that only 52% of businesses believe that trade agreements and market access have a positive impact on their business, despite Canada’s reliance on exports for sales. .
As he told an audience in Saskatoon this week, Canadians can’t eat that many lentils, beef or pork.
Given Canada’s production levels, it is paramount that Americans, Asians, Indians and Europeans consume Canadian products. Think back to the BSE crisis and the impact it had on the Canadian cattle industry when the Canada-US border was closed.
In my talks and keynotes this winter, audience members expressed concern that it may be Canadian agricultural imports that are worrying some producers. For example: CETA Agreement Although imports of European cheese are allowed, Canada struggles to send beef to the region due to non-tariff trade barriers.
Over the coming months, RealAgristudies will dig deeper into how different demographics of producers have responded to questions on trade and other policy topics. stay tuned.
