Fruit and vegetable Growers release policy priorities

none

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: April 1, 2025

File photo of fresh cherries from a roadside fruit stand at Penticton, B.C. (Amy Mitchell/iStock/Getty Images)

Food security, labour and food-informed policymaking are among the top concerns for Canadian fruit and vegetable growers ahead of the 2025 federal election.

A recently released election priority statement from the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) titled “Election 2025: Cultivating Resiliency” lays out what matters to Canadian fruit and vegetable farmers amidst the looming threat of U.S. tariffs.

“With 47.5 per cent of Canada’s fruit and vegetable production and 91.5 per cent of total exports destined for the United States, our sector is vulnerable to cross-border trade disruptions and irritants,” the statement said.

Read Also

Fruit and vegetable Growers release policy priorities

Improving agriculture’s economic and environmental sustainability

Improving the resilience of Canadian agriculture requires more flexible and targeted conservation and safety net programming, according to doctoral and distinguished fellows with the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.

The top listed priority is “applying a food lens to policymaking,” which suggests the government employ a food-informed approach to policy the same way it does with gender equity or climate change.

“Without a food lens, well-intended policies can exacerbate food insecurity, limit farm profitability, or hinder innovation,” the statement read. “By integrating food security into decision-making, Canada can better balance environmental goals, economic growth and food system resilience.”

FVGC also highlighted the need for overhauled business risk management (BRM) in Canada, stating Canada’s five existing programs “have proven inadequate for the unique needs and challenges of the fruit and vegetable sector,” particularly as sudden tariffs change the tone of trade discussions.

Competitiveness for the sector is another key concern deeply impacted by tariffs.

“The recent resurgence of U.S. tariff threats has underscored how exposed the sector is to geo-political and economic shocks beyond its control,” the statement read. “Eliminating the threat of tariffs and establishing clear, sector-specific support in the event of future trade actions must be top priorities.”

FVGC pointed to the fruit and vegetable sector’s reliance on the U.S. for 97 per cent of its exports as well as the lack of trade safeguards, and recommends reflecting Canadian horticulture’s specific needs in trade policy, including perishability and seasonality.

Ontario represents one of the largest shares of the fruit and vegetable sector in Canada: According to statistics Canada, the province represented 13.7 per cent of national fruit production and 49.2 per cent of national vegetable production in 2024.

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) released a federal policy priority list of their own March 27, which shared several concerns with the FVGC, including labour sustainability and access to crop protection tools.

A representative from OFVGA told Farmtario in an email it “supports FVGC’s policy priorities, which address the needs of growers across Ontario” and OFVGA’s own statement “puts an Ontario lens on what the sector needs to succeed in these challenging times.”

About the author

Jonah Grignon

Jonah Grignon

Reporter

Jonah Grignon is a reporter with GFM based in Ottawa, where he covers federal politics in agriculture. Jonah graduated from Carleton University’s school of journalism in 2024 and started working full-time with GFM in Fall 2024, after starting as an intern in 2023. Jonah has written for publications like The Hill Times, Maisonneuve and Canada’s History. He has also created podcasts for Carleton’s student newspaper The Charlatan, Canada’s History and Farm Radio International in Ghana.

explore

Stories from our other publications