KAP: Prioritize Food Security and Food Safety

CANADA - Keystone Agricultural Producers is calling on governments to put a higher priority on food security and food safety, writes Bruce Cochrane.
calendar icon 11 July 2008
clock icon 2 minute read
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Yesterday, as part of its annual general council meeting Keystone Agricultural Producers passed a resolution directing the organization to develop a vision for agriculture which includes food safety and food security and that the organization ask governments take food safety and food security seriously and to create an environment that will help primary producers ensure financial viability.

KAP district one executive member David Rolfe says there will be significant changes over the next decade.

David Rolfe-Keystone Agricultural Producers

It's an aging farming population and by some estimates 65 percent of the cultivated land in Canada will change hands in the next 10 to 15 years.

That means that we're going to have a whole new generation of farmers coming into Canada, whether it's sons or daughters taking over the family farm or whether it's new entrants into the business.

That next generation also has to have the financial viability to carry on those farming operations.

It's all tied to providing consumers with safe product on the store shelves.

We certainly don't want to get into a situation that we've see in other countries where there are food shortages.

It's a multi-faceted issue.

It crosses a lot of areas and what we're asking Keystone Agricultural Producers to do is to take a look at the issue on the bigger scale and to develop plans and policies to present to government that will ensure that consumers in Canada do have food security, can find food on the store shelves and that that product is safe.

But we need a generation of farmers out there that can carry on the tradition of providing food for the country.


Rolfe believes we need to make sure that, in the event of a downturn in commodity prices that we have a stable farm economy so consumers can continue to enjoy the volume of food they have now and safe food.

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