The federal government’s new policy on immigration will not have huge consequences for agri-food processors or farmers, say spokespeople for the Canadian Meat Council and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
Tag Archives immigration — page 2
‘Less panic’ over new immigration policy
Agriculture industry wary of federal immigration plan
Feds vow to reduce ‘temporary immigration,’ but group says temporary workers not the same as international students
The 2024 federal budget’s promise to reduce “temporary immigration” could reduce the number of temporary foreign workers available to Canadian agriculture and agricultural businesses. The document states the government “will reduce the share of temporary residents in Canada to five per cent of the total population over the next three years,” which it estimates will […] Read more
Federal government extends Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program
Pathway to permanent residency program for TFWs given two more years
Temporary foreign workers and their families can apply to the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot until May 2025 to get permanent Canadian residency. Sean Fraser, federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, recently announced a two-year extension to the program. “Our farmers and food processors depend on the steady arrival of foreign workers so that planting, harvesting […] Read more
Britain facing mass cull of pigs due to butcher shortage
London | Reuters — Britain’s farming industry has warned that hundreds of thousands of pigs may have to be culled within weeks unless the government issues visas to allow more butchers into the country. An acute shortage of butchers and slaughterers in the meat processing industry has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and Britain’s post-Brexit immigration […] Read more
Delays continue for foreign worker arrival
Office closures and conditions in other countries continue to be a major barrier
Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s immigration minister says Canadian officials are facing challenges in working with other governments to ensure farm workers get to Canada. “There are conditions outside of Canada, in other countries that cause the offices to be closed so we’re still addressing the issues with our partners outside of Canada to improve the […] Read more
Immigration continues to frustrate farmers seeking workers
The process is complicated and immigrant workers don’t have skills needed
The immigration system continues to fall short of meeting the needs of small businesses, including farms, facing labour shortages, says a new report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. A major mismatch exists between the jobs small businesses need filled and the skill levels of immigrants the government prioritizes, says the report. Also, the […] Read more
Opinion: Agriculture is finally at the immigration table
Recent pilot program is a large step to making immigration work for agriculture
Farmers and farm workers feel we finally have a seat at the Canadian immigration table with the recent Agri-Food Immigration Pilot project announced in July. At last we can say agriculture is part of Canada’s official immigration plan, with the new immigration pilot allowing 2,750 federal immigration spots. Farm workers and butchers of all skill […] Read more
Foreign workers leave families behind, but also see opportunity
More workers from other countries are filling empty farming roles, including on hog farms
Farmtario will continue to check in with Helen Espinola as she settles into her two-year work term in Canada. Helen Espinola left behind her husband and two children in the Philippines to work on a hog barn on the norther border of Huron County. She’s a farrowing room technician who says she loves working with […] Read more
Canadian farmers by birth and education
Recent Statistics Canada releases show that Dutch farmers continue to choose Canada as a destination
Statistics Canada has recently linked the 2016 Census of Agriculture data with household data to come up with several demographic portraits of Canadian farmers. Here is a look at what the data says on birth origin and education of farmers. Dutch farmers continue to move to Canada Canadian farmers overwhelmingly identify themselves as Canadian by […] Read more
Trump reassures farmers immigration crackdown not aimed at their workers
Washington/San Francisco | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump said he would seek to keep his tough immigration enforcement policies from harming the U.S. farm industry and its largely immigrant workforce, according to farmers and officials who met with him. At a roundtable on farm labour at the White House last month, Trump said he […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
