Reg Phelan, a P.E.I. farmer and board member of the National Farmers Union, says better protection of the province’s land will head discussion at the district convention Tuesday.
“We just think that the Lands Protection Act is not being enforced at the present,’’ said Phelan, who farms vegetables, grains and livestock in Morell.
He said the NFU is concerned companies are buying more land than they are entitled to under the act by creating additional companies.
As a result, he adds, farmers are getting less for their crops than their counterparts in other parts of Atlantic Canada and the country.
Phelan says the province needs to plug loopholes in the act while also enforcing the spirit of it more vigilantly.
The NFU has voiced alarm at what it terms is the encroachment of industrial corporations into the business of primary food production through direct ownership, vertical integration and contract farming.
The NFU has recommended, among other action, that Canada and its provinces enact a unified set of land ownership restriction wherein farmland can be owned only by individuals who reside in the province in which the land is located or by incorporated farming operations (including co-operatives) owned by individuals who reside in the province in which the land is located.
Farmers first
- The National Farmers Union is a direct-membership organization made up of Canadian farm families who share common goals. Every member of the farm family – including children ages 14 to 21 – are full voting members of the union. This structure recognizes that every family member contributes to the farm by working on it directly, or indirectly through off-farm employment.
- NFU notes member families of the union believe that through an organization that represents all commodities produced in Canada, it is possible to promote the family farm as the most appropriate and efficient means of agricultural production.
- “Our goal is to work together to achieve agricultural policies which will ensure dignity and security of income for farm families while enhancing the land for future generations,’’ states the NFU.
- Close to half of the farmers on P.E.I. are members of the NFU.
P.E.I. Communities, Land and Environment Minister Richard Brown will address farmers at the convention, which is being held at the Milton Community Hall.
Phelan expects the need for better enforcement of three-year rotation of crops will be addressed at the convention.
Mike Van den Heuvel of the Canadian Rivers Institute will provide background on the water system on P.E.I. and discuss where improvements are needed.
Another issue NFU is doing a lot of work on nationally, says Phelan, is dissecting a federal proposal to make changes to the plant breeders’ rights system, in which farmers would pay royalties on farm-saved seed.
During recent meetings held by Agriculture Canada representatives in Western Canada, Ottawa and Prince Edward Island, farmers have complained the proposals represent a blank cheque for seed developers. If a seed has desirable traits, such as high yields and disease tolerance, companies could charge whatever royalty they want, and producers would have to pay.
Producers have said there should be some oversight to ensure that royalty costs don’t get out of control.
Agriculture Canada says its reps have listened to the feedback and our thinking about possible solutions.
The local NFU convention will also see election of provincial executive positions.
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