Government relations work on behalf of farmers buying ag inputs from outside Canada may go more easily through a new, non-profit advocacy group, according to Farmers of North America (FNA).
FNA, a Saskatoon-based group that brokers deals for lower-cost imports of farm chemicals, fertilizer and other inputs and equipment on members’ behalf, on Tuesday announced the launch of the FNA Strategic Agriculture Institute, or STAG for short.
Glenn Caleval, an FNA vice-president and STAG’s first president, said the need for such a policy and advocacy group became clear during FNA’s lobbying on certain issues related to imports of U.S. farm chemicals.
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“Ongoing attempts” have been made to undermine FNA’s government relations work, Caleval said, by groups claiming FNA should not be granted the same access as other groups because it’s not structured as a pure not-for-profit body.
Caleval didn’t name the groups in question in his press release Tuesday but noted that CropLife Canada, a group representing Canadian ag chemical manufacturers, is structured as a not-for-profit.
STAG isn’t meant to replace or undermine other farmer organizations’ efforts, FNA said. Its stated objectives will be to “promote the interests of primary agricultural producers” and pursue policy, legislation, education and business decisions that lead to improved farm profitability.
STAG will focus on specific policy or educational initiatives rather than physical delivery of goods or services to members, Caleval said. Its first priority will be to support groups that have called for the reinstatement of the own-use import (OUI) program for imports of ag inputs from the U.S.
The group said it will “also actively look for ways to ensure farmers get more balanced coverage before urban audiences.”
For example, Caleval said, “globally farmers are being held up as the cause of hunger, when any rational analysis demonstrates that if (farmers) had been getting paid properly to begin with, there would be more food for everyone.”
