Wednesday, December 13, 2006 · Page 7 Preparing input for the future by Bette Jean Crews, Vice-President Ontario Federation of Agriculture Farmers unhappy with agriculture's recent economic output and that includes most of us will soon have an opportunity to share in the planning for the future of our industry. The groundwork is just being laid now for the next generation of Canada's agriculture and agri-food policy. Documents are being circulated and reviewed with the intention of stimulating dialogue among all stakeholders government staff and farmers included to examine how a competitive and profitable Canadian agriculture can be built. The next generation program discussion documents cover the themes: innovation and science; environment; food safety and quality; renewal; and market development and trade. Along with the basic documents there are more indepth papers related to each of the themes. Consultation material on business risk management programming and a series of economic backgrounders will form the basis for the consultation discussions. The consultation process is based on the principles that Canadian agriculture will be market-driven, innovative and efficient, and capable of seizing opportunities across the value chain, and from there be able to strengthen Canada's position in the global marketplace. It is expected results of the consultation process will achieve success by including the promotion of a competitive and profitable agriculture and agri-food sector one that can respond quickly to market opportunities in both the domestic and global arenas. The success of Canadian agriculture into the future will also depend on the sector's ability to develop and adopt new technologies and best practices so that Canada can be at the forefront of agri-products development. Canada becoming a world leader in innovation and prosperity will depend on the country's ability to foster a business and regulatory climate that is conducive to these traits. The ability of the Canadian agri-food sector to respond quickly to evolving and citizen consumer demands will be key to future successes. This becomes increasingly obvious as we watch consumers raise their expectations of food producers and processors to meet increasing health and wellness demands. Canadian consumers can be expected to measure the effectiveness of agriculture against its impacts on the environment and renewable resources. As our agricultural sector looks for new markets, domestically and around the world, the next generation of policies and programs will need to act in accordance with our international obligations. We will have to acknowledge the potential of exposure to possible countervail actions, yet move to achieve the full benefits of Canada's international trading rights. While we are just at the discussion paper stage now, Canadian farmers need to prepare to voice their thoughts beginning in January, 2007, as the consultations begin in earnest. These sessions will be held across the country and be open to all interested stakeholders. In conjunction with this round, consultation sessions on the new Business Risk Management suite will be held. Following this, another round of invitation-only working sessions will be held to assess feedback from the first two rounds and prepare consolidated input to the Federal/ Provincial/Territorial negotiations. OFA looks forward to working with Ontario farmers to develop their input, and contributing to the national debate through the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. We are working on both short and longterm solutions. Call Today! It pays to advertise! 776-4268