The capital campaign for the project announced on June 5 that Warburtons, a family-owned company based in Greater Manchester, contributed $650,000 to the project.

WHY IT MATTERS: Once complete, the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange will replace Cereals Canada’s leased space in the Canadian Grain Commission building in Winnipeg.

Warburtons has a longstanding partnership with Cereals Canada and has sourced significant volumes of Canadian wheat from Western Canada, according to a press release from capital campaign chair JoAnne Buth.

“Cereals Canada and Warburtons share a deep commitment to quality and innovation,” she said.

She added that Cereals Canada is “thrilled to make this announcement alongside Warburtons, and we are grateful for their support.”

Warburtons has utilized the current Cereals Canada facility in Winnipeg for many years. The pilot bakery, mill and analytical lab at the facility has been used to test and analyze western Canadian wheat before it is exported to the United Kingdom for production.

Warburtons partnered with Cereals Canada in 2016 for a multi-year pulse research project with a goal to produce healthier baked goods.

“Warburtons has proudly partnered with Canadian farmers and the agriculture industry for over 30 years to source the highest quality wheat through our Identity Preserved Program,” said Adam Dyck, Canadian program manager for Warburtons.

“For the past 15 years, Cereals Canada has played a vital role in supporting our commitment to quality and innovation,” he said, adding that their contribution “reflects the value we place on Canadian agriculture and our strong belief in innovation, collaboration and long-term relationships.”

“This facility will help ensure that Cereals Canada remains a global leader, and we’re honoured to support that vision,” he said.

The fundraising project for the exchange, which will be located in downtown Winnipeg, has raised just over $32 million towards its goal of $100 million.

The stated vision for the Cereals Canada project is to provide the tools necessary to allow Cereals Canada to maintain the globally recognized expertise of Canada’s wheat industry and maintain Canada’s global role as a supplier of high-quality wheat.

The post Cereals Canada hub receives international support appeared first on Farmtario.

Canadians often lose sight of how big their country is — unless, for example, they get to rub shoulders with Europeans who are staggered by the time it takes to drive across a single province.

Canada is big — and with that comes the challenges of bridging different geographies and climate zones, regional cultures, languages, resources and economic needs.

Glacier FarmMedia reporters and contributors from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba asked farmers about their election priorities, how represented by the federal government they’ve felt — and finally, if there’s anything they’d like farmers from other regions to understand about the issues they face.

Donald Trump and tariffs

Ontario:

Although the tariffs might not always be top-of-mind for Ontario farmers as they contemplate the April 28 vote, it’s never far from the top of the list.

“We’ve got a bully right now. And he’s got (Canadian supply-managed agriculture) in his sights,” said Embro area dairy producer Braydon Older. “[Donald Trump is] obsessed with it, and I don’t know how that can work out good for us.”

“It just seems that one day Trump can wake up in a good mood and lay off the tariffs and then the next day wake up on the wrong side of the bed and say ‘let’s tariff everyone’,” said crop farmer Matt Underwood from the Wingham area.

Underwood said the federal government should be softening the blow of tariff uncertainty by promoting Canadian farm products more globally.

“We need to make sure we’re open to working with more buyers,” he said. “That’s both for Ontario and for the West. We really need to be highlighting what Canadian farmers have to offer to the world.”

Quebec:

Christian Hébert is an apple and raspberry producer near Deschambault, west of Québec City. He’s also a Bloc Québécois’ candidate for the riding of Portneuf-Jacques Cartier. His comments have been translated from French.

He said the pandemic, climate change and now economic war with the United States have compounded the burdens on farms.

“The economic burden is so astronomic that youth consider themselves as the lost, or forgotten, generation,” he said. “I don’t want to be alarmist, but we’ve been experiencing this for the past forty years, and by “this” I mean the decline of agriculture.”

This year he’s seeing even more farms going out of business — some choosing to leave despite still being profitable, due to stress and exhaustion.

Alberta:

Bryan Perkins owns a mixed pig and grain farm operation in the municipal district of Wainwright in east-central Alberta. Perkins said the on-again, off-again rollercoaster of U.S. tariffs is putting a strain on the industry and supports from the government may not be timely enough to help farmers who face hardships due to the trade war.

“There were indications by our current government that they want to do something through AgriStability, but the impact of that is well down the road,” Perkins said. “If there are benefits that might come from that, it’s months or years down the road. And we have issues now that are really affecting us at this point in time.”

Phil Constantin is a grain grower in Sturgeon County north of Edmonton. He said that although the U.S. tariff situation is harmful to the Canadian agriculture industry, he believes that President Trump is only standing up for his country.

“We do need to address this free trade agreement. These tariffs are doing nothing but hurting everybody,” Constantin said.

“And I know everybody is complaining about Trump, but I mean, the guy is looking out for his country. We need somebody like that for this country.”

Manitoba:

Tariffs were the top concern for Scott Peters, a hog farmer near Steinbach in southeastern Manitoba.

“At any time it could change, so we have to be ready for anything,” he said.

Harley Siemens, an egg producer in south-central and southeastern Manitoba, said while egg farmers aren’t the ones in the cross-hairs, they are concerned that the supply-managed sectors stay in place.

“We still care about the system’s integrity,” he said.

Canadian dairy, specifically, has been a point of contention in Canada-U.S. relations, though Prime Minister Mark Carney has said dairy is off the table in trade negotiations.

Curtis McCrae raised the specter of Chinese tariffs on Canadian goods like canola oil and meal, peas and pork, which are typically thought of as retaliation after Canada placed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

He said that if the federal government is going to use farmers as a “sacrificial lamb,” it needs to financially support farmers. “I can’t see electric vehicles ever overtaking agriculture as an economic driver of this country.”

Trade, economy, and a better

business environment

Ontario:

Underwood is optimistic during this election that there’s a chance to overturn “the status quo” in Ottawa and begin promoting Canadian agriculture at home and abroad.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for our government to support farmers more,” he said. Examples could include a carbon tax exemption for businesses that dry grains and efforts on a global scale to facilitate export of Canadian farm products outside North American.

Oxford dairy farmers Pete Overdevest and Davina Garner want to see less red tape for farm construction and/or expansion.

Quebec:

Hébert said there’s a lack of support for small and mid-sized farms both at the provincial and federal level.

“Support programs are abandoning this section of the industry,” he said. “The majority of farms in Québec and Canada are approaching this critical zone: they are no longer a small farm, but they are not a large enterprise either. Insurance and financing programs are not designed for them and innovation support programs don’t work.”

The sector also needs to look into the future and think about how climate change will affect crop production methods and insurance programs, he added.

Alberta:

Constantin said programs like AgriInvest must be improved to help farmers keep their operations strong in today’s shifting global market.

“I don’t really want to be subsidized, but when this kind of stuff comes up, we need some kind of safeguard to help us out and maintain things,” he said. “They call it AgriInvest, but it doesn’t really work. I mean, you’ve got to qualify for it, and even if you do, you don’t see money until years down the road.”

Perkins spoke about issues he sees in the world of the agriculture business and how the global marketplace is changing the way Canadian farmers do business.

“The uncertainties in the marketplace that are there, whether it be Chinese tariffs or the potential trade disruptions that might occur along the way from that, they’re causing turmoil as well,” Perkins said.

“The machinery we buy or the various inputs that we buy are all affected by this turmoil in world trade.”

Manitoba:

BRM programs need to be improved, said Peters. “There are things that are happening, but it’s all within the same structure, and I think some of the structure is outdated and for sure not responsive enough.”

He noted that rural crime is an issue for hog producers. Peters said his barns have been broken into several times.

Peters also noted he’d like to see the federal government promote domestic processing and manufacturing.

McCrae said that government restrictions like the price on carbon and tier four emissions on machinery have made the economy weak.

“Hopefully the next government that gets in understands that we need to unleash our economic power,” McCrae said.

Siemens said he’d like to see federal red tape reduced. He also said poultry farmers need better insurance against avian influenza outbreaks, noting the CFIA’s per-head payment hasn’t been updated in many years.

Farmer representation

Ontario:

The farmers Farmtario spoke with generally felt well represented by their MPs. In all cases, those were Conservative MPs elected in ridings where agriculture is a significant economic driver.

“From Ottawa as a whole, though, I don’t feel the current government provides as much support as I would like to see for grain farmers across the country,” said Underwood.

Brayden Older, a dairy farmer near Embro, says he “feel(s) like we’re rudderless right now.” He criticized former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for proroguing Parliament immediately upon announcing his intention to step down as Liberal leader. He also mused about the possibility that the nation could — if Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives win the election — potentially be led by three different prime ministers within a few months.

Overdevest, who is on the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board, says the ruling Liberals made campaign promises in the past but failed to follow through once elected. He expects little better this time.

Overdevest and Older shared the concern that if the Liberals secure a third successive victory the alienation due to lack of representation for farmers — particularly Prairie farmers — in Ottawa will rise to troubling levels.

Older wants to hear assurances from party leaders this campaign that supply management will be protected in any trade negotiations. But he admitted he worries that putting too much emphasis on poultry, eggs and dairy could leave voters in Western Canadian farm country feeling left out.

“We need to be united over the whole country,” agreed Overdevest.

Quebec:

“The strongest element of a society is also its weakest link: its farmers,” said Hébert.

“We can’t just pick up tomorrow and go. So, if farmers’ concerns are not prioritized in public policy, then we’ll be the first ones sacrificed. I find this very sad.”

Hébert said Quebecers unanimously support reciprocal norms — that is, that imported products sold in Québec must be subject to the same standards and requirements as Québec products.

“The federal government is not playing an adequate role in terms of control over products coming through the border,” he said.

Hébert said in recent years there have been several demonstrations in Quebec, other provinces and the U.S. about reciprocal norms.

Alberta:

Perkins said agriculture seems to get lost in the mix, while tariffs on other industries receive all the attention from the federal government.

“They’re spending a lot of time working on and being worried about tariffs and whatnot, but we’re here with 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and canola meal and 25 per cent tariffs on pork going to China, and there just doesn’t seem to be a whisper on that,” he said.

“Yet, when there’s a 25 per cent tariff on automobiles or steel and aluminum — and those are all really important industries, for sure — all of a sudden there’s lots of government attention,” Perkins said.

China placed tariffs on agricultural products in retaliation for those Canada placed on electric vehicles, he said.

Manitoba:

McCrae said his biggest fear is that eastern voters will forget what has happened in the last ten years.

“We haven’t been represented as part of the country. We’ve just been where everything gets pushed to solve problems,” he said.

He said he’d love to see a government that understands the importance of primary industry, and the growth it can spur in the rest of the economy.

Peters, who sits on the Canadian Pork Council, said representation has been okay at times. It can be difficult to get meetings with officials, but he understands they are very busy.

However, he said AgriStability has been toyed with too much, and programs have been cut — possibly because agriculture is poorly understood or forgotten.

What do you want other

farmers to know?

Ontario:

Garner would prefer if there was a better understanding of the different pressures faced by farmers in the East versus the West. As the organizer of an all-candidates’ meeting on behalf of the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture, she believes there’s a wider range of farms in Ontario than on the Prairies.

“Plus I think we tend to be more limited here by red tape if we want to expand,” Garner added.

Garner’s biggest concern during the campaign is whether the parties’ efforts to tackle the perceived housing crisis will accelerate the loss of prime agricultural land in the province.

Overdevest says it’s unfortunate that the news and culture of Toronto is often what Western farmers hear, when it’s a completely different reality in Ontario’s farm country.

Underwood suggested western farmers might benefit from knowing that most of their Ontario counterparts live in ridings that have stayed blue for several elections.

Alberta:

Constantin said producers across the country can all agree on many concerns in the industry.

“I think at one time or another we all face each other’s problems. We’re all facing droughts, we’re all facing floods. But I think the biggest thing is when we have a swing this big on pricing,” he said.

Constantin said the lack of competition in grains pricing is damning to the industry.

“We don’t have enough competition in the grain market at all.… We’ve lost Viterra to Bunge, so what do we have for competition? We used to have the Canadian Wheat Board, and we had farmers running it at the end and doing a great job, but they shut us down. Then they took all our assets and sold it to G3.”

Perkins sees Alberta agriculture as an export-first economy as opposed to other regions that can rely more on domestic consumption. In a global trade war, that is a worry.

“Our western Canadian agriculture is very much oriented to export kinds of commodities. Certainly we use our products here in Canada, but a lot of the products — whether it be livestock or grains or oilseeds — are heavily exported,” he said.

“We have to be concerned about the supply managed sector having undue influence on trade negotiations,” he added. “I think it can be framed in a way, certainly, that makes it possible to still have that kind of program in place, but yet there needs to be respect for those of us who … are very much oriented to the export markets.”

Manitoba:

McCrae said he has a neighbor from Ontario who still farms in that province. Their priorities are very similar.

“We think a lot alike,” he said.

Manitoba is much more export-oriented than Ontario, he noted. Farmers there might not understand how crucial infrastructure like ports and railways are to producers in the West, and the magnitude of threats posed by strikes.

Quebec:

No answer provided.

This report is a collaboration of journalists who contribute to Glacier FarmMedia’s network of agricultural publications. Geralyn Wicher is Glacier FarmMedia’s associate digital editor and an award-winning agricultural journalist. She compiled this article. Zak MacLachan writes from Wainwright, Alberta and regularly contributes to Alberta Farmer Express and The Western Producer. Stew Slater operates a small dairy farm on 150 acres near St. Marys, Ont., and has been writing about rural and agricultural issues since 1999. He is a regular contributor to Farmtario. April Stewart is editor of Country Guide magazine and works and farms in rural Quebec.

The post Canadian farmers reveal concerns ahead of federal election appeared first on Farmtario.

Canadians often lose sight of how big their country is — unless, for example, they get to rub shoulders with Europeans who are staggered by the time it takes to drive across a single province.

Canada is big — and with that comes the challenges of bridging different geographies and climate zones, regional cultures, languages, resources and economic needs.

Glacier FarmMedia reporters and contributors from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba asked farmers about their election priorities, how represented by the federal government they’ve felt — and finally, if there’s anything they’d like farmers from other regions to understand about the issues they face.

Here is what they said about trade tensions with the U.S.

For more coverage of the 2025 federal election, visit the Western Producer’s elections tab.

Ontario

Although the tariffs might not always be top-of-mind for Ontario farmers as they contemplate the April 28 vote, it’s never far from the top of the list.

“We’ve got a bully right now. And he’s got (Canadian supply-managed agriculture) in his sights,” said Embro area dairy producer Braydon Older. “[Donald Trump is] obsessed with it, and I don’t know how that can work out good for us.”

“It just seems that one day Trump can wake up in a good mood and lay off the tariffs and then the next day wake up on the wrong side of the bed and say ‘let’s tariff everyone’,” said crop farmer Matt Underwood from the Wingham area.

Underwood said the federal government should be softening the blow of tariff uncertainty by promoting Canadian farm products more globally.

“We need to make sure we’re open to working with more buyers,” he said. “That’s both for Ontario and for the West. We really need to be highlighting what Canadian farmers have to offer to the world.”

Quebec

Christian Hébert is an apple and raspberry producer near Deschambault-Grondines, west of Québec City. He’s also a Bloc Québécois candidate for the riding of Portneuf-Jacques Cartier. His comments have been translated from French.

He said the pandemic, climate change and now economic war with the United States have compounded the burdens on farms.

“The economic burden is so astronomic that youth consider themselves as the lost, or forgotten, generation,” he said. “I don’t want to be alarmist, but we’ve been experiencing this for the past forty years, and by “this” I mean the decline of agriculture.”

This year he’s seeing even more farms going out of business — some choosing to leave despite still being profitable, due to stress and exhaustion.

Alberta

Bryan Perkins owns a mixed pig and grain farm operation in the municipal district of Wainwright in east-central Alberta. Perkins said the on-again, off-again rollercoaster of U.S. tariffs is putting a strain on the industry and supports from the government may not be timely enough to help farmers who face hardships due to the trade war.

“There were indications by our current government that they want to do something through AgriStability, but the impact of that is well down the road,” Perkins said. “If there are benefits that might come from that, it’s months or years down the road. And we have issues now that are really affecting us at this point in time.”

Phil Constantin is a grain grower in Sturgeon County north of Edmonton. He said that although the U.S. tariff situation is harmful to the Canadian agriculture industry, he believes that President Trump is only standing up for his country.

“We do need to address this free trade agreement. These tariffs are doing nothing but hurting everybody,” Constantin said.

“And I know everybody is complaining about Trump, but I mean, the guy is looking out for his country. We need somebody like that for this country.”

Manitoba

Tariffs were the top concern for Scott Peters, a hog farmer near Steinbach in southeastern Manitoba.

“At any time it could change, so we have to be ready for anything,” he said.

Harley Siemens, an egg producer in south-central and southeastern Manitoba, said while egg farmers aren’t the ones in the cross-hairs, they are concerned that the supply-managed sectors stay in place.

“We still care about the system’s integrity,” he said.

Canadian dairy, specifically, has been a point of contention in Canada-U.S. relations, though Prime Minister Mark Carney has said dairy is off the table in trade negotiations.

Curtis McCrae raised the specter of Chinese tariffs on Canadian goods like canola oil and meal, peas and pork, which are typically thought of as retaliation after Canada placed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

He said that if the federal government is going to use farmers as a “sacrificial lamb,” it needs to financially support farmers. “I can’t see electric vehicles ever overtaking agriculture as an economic driver of this country.”

The post Canadian farmers reveal concerns ahead of federal election appeared first on Farmtario.

The U.S. implemented 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods the morning of the opening day of the convention, which had speaker and attendees focused heavily on the cross-border trade conflict.

A pause was placed on the tariffs just hours after the convention wrapped up.

Right from the start of the speaking agenda, tariffs took the spotlight.

Economic challenges nothing new

Economist Todd Hirsch told attendees that although the political landscape and and the economic uncertainty it has created are troubling, it’s not the first time the Canadian and global economies have faced major economic changes.

He said major global events like 9/11, stock market crashes and the Covid-19 pandemic have shook the global economy in the past, but it has always pulled through.

“What is happening today isn’t all that unusual. I mean, this exact situation is unusual, but we’ve been through these sort of cataclysmic shifts in reality in the past. And we got through them,” Hirsch said.

“Everything has shifted, and now the path forward is very, very unclear. But there are lots of examples of when we moved forward.”

‘Darkest day’ says Harper

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was the convention’s final speaker, and he did not mince words when it came to the U.S. enforcing its tariffs on Canada.

“What happened on Tuesday with the imposition of these across-the-board tariffs, as a Canadian and from the standpoint of our nation, was the darkest day I have experienced since I left Ottawa. This is a very worrisome thing,” he said.

But he added that it is not all gloom and doom, as he does not expect the heavy-handed sweeping tariffs to last too long.

“We need to remember that no organization in the United States with any significance is asking for this. It really is the agenda of the President himself. And secondly, let’s not forget that while we are going to be hurt by this, it is Americans who are going to be hurt right away… So I think there will be pressure in the United States that will grow for this to be addressed,” Harper said.

“In my opinion, we should be calm, and I think try to be optimistic… Now, staying calm doesn’t mean we don’t retaliate. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a plan. But we should stay calm.”

Don’t make drastic moves: Castillo

North American Export Grain Association president Alejandra Castillo said during a multi-national panel discussing cross-border perspectives that with the tariff situation constantly changing on a near-daily basis, it is important right now to take things day-by-day and not make too many drastic moves.

“I think we need to go away from trying to interpret the president and lending an understanding that things are just going to happen the way he wants them to happen. As the market, our job is going to be to remain calm… I know that’s easier said than done. But if you get lost in interpretation mode, I feel that we’re going to get away from the point,” Castillo said.

With a pause now placed on U.S. tariffs against Canada, the conversation around the issue may take on a different tone in Canadian agriculture. But it is a conversation which will continue as the industry attempts to navigate the future of its trade relationship with the U.S.

The post Tariffs, trade dominate discussion at Canadian Crops Convention appeared first on Farmtario.

During the Alberta Federation of Agriculture annual general meeting Mar. 3, Canadian Federation of Agriculture executive director Scott Ross said the CFA has been working for months on a plan to help support the industry and producers around the country, focusing on three main points.

“Rather than focusing on reacting to every single announcement that comes out of the Trump administration and trying to monitor all the different scenarios that could evolve, which are quite complex, we’ve really just focused on engaging members on three areas,” Ross said.

They included:

• If Canada is going to respond with tariffs, what are the areas that we need to be avoiding and what is the rationale that we need to ensure we are not putting tariffs on those areas?
• What are some of the areas where we may need to have exemptions to allow certain products to come in tariff free?
• What are the immediate mitigation needs our members are going to have when tariffs come into place?

Ross said in his and other CFA leaders’ discussions with producers, government and experts across the country, they have heard “loud and clear that the hurt will be fairly widespread.”

Producers will need government support

Producers staring down that hurt will need support from their provincial and federal governments, Ross said.

“Some of the key areas we really have focused on and heard from our members as needs that are going to come are things like loan guarantees and liquidity support as well as increased opportunities in market access and looking at where new markets are available,” he said.

“Another key one, of course, is looking at our business risk management programs and what sort of modifications and amendments we can make there. So we’ve put forward a number of ideas, everything from raising the payment limit under AgriStability to the compensation rate, recognizing that there could be widespread impacts here.”

National unity a silver lining

Ross said one surprising result of the U.S. tariff circus that has dominated headlines and boardrooms for months has been the unity it has sparked across the country.

“It sounds cynical to talk about it in this way, but I was attending the prime minister’s summit that was held in Toronto, and the most striking thing that came out of there is the level of national unity this entire situation has created,” he said.

“There are going to be opportunities, I think, in the short-term and medium-term to do things across the federal and provincial governments that might not have been possible in a normal situation.

“It’s something we’re also looking at, therefore, in terms of what are the significant opportunities that we should be addressing to advance our competitiveness and our resilience, recognizing that geopolitical issues continue to arise and have impacts on our sectors. We need to find ways to diversify our markets and, at the same time, strengthen our trade-enabling infrastructure so that we can continue to move product reliably to markets we identify as opportunities.”

The post CFA tariff preparation focused on tariff exemptions, producer needs appeared first on Farmtario.

The Grain Growers of Canada is now urging the Canadian government to take immediate action to eliminate the tariffs, highlighting the potential for widespread market instability, increased financial burdens on Canadian crop producers and increased food costs for American consumers.

The newly implemented tariffs threaten a vital trade relationship, with Canada exporting more than $17 billion worth of grain and grain products to the U.S. annually.

Kyle Larkin, executive director of GGC, expressed deep concern.

“Tariffs of this magnitude will put family-run grain farms at risk by introducing widespread market uncertainty,” he said.

Canada, which exports more than 70 per cent of its grain production globally, relies heavily on international markets. The tariffs are expected to drive down farmgate prices for key crops such as wheat, canola, oats, barley, and pulses, making it increasingly difficult for farmers to remain financially viable.

“As price takers, grain farmers are at the whim of the global markets that we export to,” said Tara Sawyer, chair of GGC and an Alberta grain farmer.

“Margins are already razor thin, and an added financial burden like this could put the future of many family farms in jeopardy.”

Added Larkin: “Canadian family run grain farms are already facing death by a thousand cuts through increased input costs, regulatory burdens and taxation.…

“Uncertainty with our largest trading partner for grain and grain products, on top of ongoing instability with our second-largest trading partner, China, could push many family farms to the brink.”

GGC argues that the tariffs will negatively impact American consumers.

“A 25 per cent tariff on Canadian grain and grain products is in effect a 25 per cent tax on American consumers who purchase groceries every day,” said Larkin.

He predicted price increases for a range of everyday products, including bread, pasta, beer, oatmeal and canola oil, which will exacerbate the current affordability crisis.

The post Grain Growers of Canada react to U.S. tariffs appeared first on Farmtario.

In Food First: How Agriculture Can Lead a New Era for Canadian Exports, RBC outlines a plan to expand Canada’s global market share by 30 per cent and create $44 billion in new agri-food exports by 2035.

Canada has seen many benefits of the U.S.’s priority access to production and processing, the report said. But the industry has become overly reliant on Canada’s southern neighbours as an export market, which is concerning given the ongoing threat of tariffs from Canada’s largest trade partner.

Canada accounts for 20 per cent of U.S. agri-food imports, but if large-scale tariffs are applied to agriculture and agri-food products, it would make Canada a less desirable trade partner to the U.S.

“With rising trade uncertainty and escalating tariffs in North America, Canada must accelerate efforts to diversify its trading partners, particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East,” said report author Lisa Ashton, RBC Thought Leadership’s agriculture policy lead.

“In terms of diversification opportunities … maintaining the U.S. relationship is critical,” Ashton told Glacier FarmMedia in an interview.

“Speaking to the horticultural industry and the fruit and veg industry, even today, that are growing out of greenhouses and in field, they really need cold chain access that it can get to the grocery shelves,” she continued. “The US. market will continue to be very important for those types of sectors.”

At the same time, Canada’s global competitiveness has also slipped, dropping its seventh place from fifth on the global export leaderboards. Much of this competition has come from Brazil and Chile, which have both taken large chunks of the market in meat and fish, where Canada has been competitive globally in the past.

“Canada’s market share since 2000 has declined, relatively, by 12%,” the report said. “Our exports are still growing—they’ve quadrupled during that time. It’s just that we’re not keeping pace with the rest of the world, which saw agriculture and agri-food exports grow five-fold over the same period.”

The report recommends three objectives by which Canada can grow its exports: taking advantage of what we have, taking on growth markets and strengthen current partnerships.

Canada has 18 free trade agreements in place, which provide access to more than two-thirds of the global economy. The report shows that if Canada can use those agreements to make better use of market access to Europe, Asia and Latin America, it could grow its share of the global export pie.

Taking on new growth markets requires exploring more global trade partners — particularly in south and Southeast Asia. One of the clearest growth opportunities – especially in plant-based proteins like peas, lentils and soybeans – will be India, the report said. That market of 1.5 billion people is seeing a rapid growth in economy and standard of living.

Strengthening and growing current partnerships relies on Canada taking advantage of food trade deficits projected for countries like Japan, China and the U.S. in the next decade.

“Driving production and processing in these domains will help position Canada as a strategic as well as a reliable partner, if we can make some of the investments we’ll outline in the following sections,” the report read.

The findings of the report included five keys to unlocking Canada’s export potential:

• Innovation: Accelerate the adoption of precision farming and food processing technologies to increase productivity and efficiency.
• Capital: Scale up agri-food processing clusters to add value to raw commodities and expand Canada’s footprint in global markets.
• Digital access: Close the 5G and high-speed internet gap in rural Canada to unlock the full potential of digital agriculture.
• Export Infrastructure: Modernize ports, logistics, and transportation networks to reduce bottlenecks and improve export reliability.
• Global marketing: Strengthen market development efforts and regulatory alignment in high-growth regions like Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The growth necessary to see Canada return to the world’s fifth-largest agriculture and agri-food exporter would require a 50 per cent expansion in value-added agri-food exports and a ten per cent increase in agriculture commodity exports.

“Canada has long been one of the world’s leading food producers,” said John Stackhouse, senior vice president of RBC’s office of the CEO.

“We have an opportunity to turn agriculture into a driving force for trade diversification and if we act now, we can ensure Canadian farmers, processors, and exporters are well-positioned to lead the global food economy rather than losing ground to competitors.”

—With files from Jonah Grignon

The post Trade tensions highlight need to diversify, strengthen Canada’s food export markets says RBC appeared first on Farmtario.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday signed an order to place 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10 per cent on goods from China.

Energy products from Canada will have only a 10 per cent duty, but Mexican energy imports will be charged the full 25 per cent, the officials told reporters.

Trump has declared the national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to back the tariffs, which allows sweeping powers to address crises.

The White House officials said there would be no exclusions from the tariffs. Moreover, in the case of Canada specifically, they said the “de minimis” U.S. tariff exemption for small shipments under $800 would be canceled.

Trump originally said he would sign an executive order imposing the tariffs on his first day in office, linking the move to border issues and demanding Canada and Mexico clamp down on the flow of illegal drugs and migrants to the U.S. The order was then pushed back to Feb. 1.

Bracing for impact

A 25 per cent tariff is expected to have serious consequences for Canadian-grown agricultural commodities like grain, pork and beef.

Manitoba alone sends about three million piglets each year to producers in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, where feed corn can be sourced more cheaply, according to the Canadian Pork Council and Manitoba Pork Council.

Midwestern farmers then raise and fatten the animals before sending them to slaughter. Pork flows to buyers in the U.S. and Canada after processing.

Manitoba piglet producers have been having uncomfortable conversations with U.S. buyers about who picks up the tariff bill.

“These pigs can’t stop flowing,” Manitoba Pork Council Chair Rick Prejet told Reuters this week, adding that there are not enough Canadian farms to fatten piglets to slaughter weight.

Prejet said American farmers need Canadian piglets because there are not enough born in the U.S. That means the piglet trade will likely continue in the short term even if tariffs are imposed.

“There will have to be a negotiation between buyer and seller,” said Prejet.

In an interview late last year, Manitoba Pork Council general manager Cam Dahl said Trump’s statements are the latest manifestation of a gradual non-partisan slide into U.S. protectionism.

“For example, we have a country of origin labelling that’s come back and is going to discriminate against Canadian live cattle and live hogs. We have things like individual state initiatives on animal welfare like Proposition 12 in California,” he said.

The original country of origin labelling rule, rolled back in 2015, was mandatory, while the new U.S. version is characterized as voluntary, although Canadian producers say that distinction will make little practical difference.

Proposition 12 sets out animal treatment standards for products sold in California. Critics are worried about the impact of state-specific rules on the harmonized value chain.

Dahl noted the sheer number of animals sent from Manitoba to the U.S. every year.

“On an annual basis, the pork industry contributes about $2.3 billion to Manitoba’s GDP. We employ about 22,000 people, and when you take away the largest market that those 22,000 people are working to fill, of course it would have a big, big impact in Manitoba,” said Dahl.

“And that’s not just for hog producers. That’s across the entire province.”

On the beef side, the Canadian beef industry expects $2 billion in live cattle exports and at least $4 billion in beef exports to the U.S. over 2024, said Laycraft. Canada is also a large import market for U.S. beef and cattle, he noted. Around $500 million in live cattle and about $1.5 billion in beef imports from the U.S. will come into Canada this year.

Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay has expressed confidence in Canada’s ability to navigate the trade landscape under the new U.S. administration.

Canada’s minister of agriculture maintains that the cross-border trade relationship can weather the tariff storm.

“We’ve dealt with the Trump government previously and we’ll do it again,” Lawrence MacAulay told reporters Nov. 26. “We will deal with each issue as they come forward.”

MacAulay said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump shortly after the new tariff comments were made. The ag minister also pointed to a re-established cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, which he said will focus on such issues.

Laycraft, likewise, believed there was a reasonable chance the highly integrated nature of U.S.-Canada trade would drive support for maintaining the status quo on both sides of the border.

“I think when people look at the benefits on the total increase in trade and being able to have these solid trade agreements with your most trusted trading partners, there’s a lot more pros than cons in any review or renegotiation moving forward,” he said.

The CCA and stakeholders planned to analyze different scenarios and outcomes and share that information with producers.

“In situations like this, the best you can do is try and give people the best possible information to make decisions moving forward,” Laycraft said

Potash mining company BHP suggested that diversification will be its answer to the U.S. tariffs.

“We have a strategy to be geographically diversified with our sales, so we will not just sell to the U.S. We will sell all over the globe,” said Karina Gistelinck, asset president of potash for BHP in Saskatchewan, late last year.

“Obviously, the U.S. is a big end-user consumer for potash, and we will take that into account.”

Gistelinck added that “tariffs come and go” and the Australian-owned BHP prioritizes resilience to tariffs and other price changes.

Dahl said he hoped the tariff threat will drive better recognition of the U.S.-Canada ag trade relationship among stakeholders like the federal government.

“Our provincial government is very engaged,” he said. “We need to have that on the federal side of agriculture and food, as well as the other provinces, to really reach out and have these conversations with individual states as well as with representatives and senators and the new administration coming in.”

—With files from Karen Briere, Janelle Rudolph, Geralyn Wichers and Reuters

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The acquisition of Regina-based Viterra by global agribusiness and food company Bunge has been in the works for some time, and the move has been met with concerns from the industry focused mostly on the long-term impact on grain market competition.

A statement from Saskatchewan NDP Leader and agriculture and rural affairs shadow minister Carla Beck emphasized her disappointment in the announcement of the government approval.

“We’ve been clear since day one that this deal is bad for Saskatchewan. This large consolidation puts head office jobs, agriculture and value-added jobs across Saskatchewan and canola crush projects all at risk, and our world-class producers are going to take a hit on their incomes,” she said.

“The federal and provincial governments should not have rolled over and let this anti-competitive merger go through. They should have stood up for Saskatchewan, instead of selling it out.”

Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) also released a statement expressing frustration over the approval, which the GGC said could hit Canadian grain farmers with a loss of $770 million in revenue annually.

“This is a missed opportunity to protect competition in Canada’s grain sector and prioritize the interests of producers who grow the food that Canada and the world rely on,” GGC executive director Kyle Larkin said in a press release.

“We are urging the government to revisit these conditions, strengthen measures to foster competition, and take meaningful steps to support Canada’s grain farmers.”

The merger approval does come with conditions. Some of the conditions require Bunge to divest of six grain elevators in western Canada, invest at least $520 million in Canada in the next five years and retain Viterra’s head office in Regina for at least five years.

Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) President Bill Prybylski said that while he is cautiously optimistic that some producers’ concerns have been addressed with conditions on the transaction, he believes more can be done to support farmers and ensure a competitive marketplace for Canadian producers.

“The government’s decision has begun to address critical issues we’ve raised, particularly around the need for enhanced competitiveness and sustainability for farmers. However, achieving real progress requires these policies to move beyond initial promises towards practical and impactful outcomes,” Prybylski said in a statement on Wednesday.

“While we acknowledge the government’s efforts in addressing the concerns raised by Saskatchewan farmers in its decision, it is essential that these conditions are more than just words on paper. Farmers need real action that translates into enhanced competitiveness and sustainability in the grain industry.”

Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie also voiced his frustration on the matter, adding that Bunge retaining its stake in G3 raises eyebrows about fairness in the marketplace.

“We need to ensure that, at a minimum, the conditions set around this deal are being met. Our concerns from the beginning were that this deal would not be in the best interests of farmers and the fact that Bunge has maintained its minority ownership stake in G3 certainly furthers those concerns,” Currie said.

“Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it is the farmers who will pay.”

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