GUELPH, ON [May 26, 2020] – To keep Ontario’s food supply chain strong and store shelves stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers along the agriculture and food value chain need support to recruit, train and connect workers to in-demand jobs across the agri-food sector.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is pleased to announce the provincial and federal government’s support of OFA’s project proposal to rapidly develop a comprehensive support system for agriculture and food employers and job seekers. “There is an ongoing need for workers on Canadian farms and across the agri-food sector, employing a wide range of skillsets,” said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “This investment will support Ontarians to train and transition into these rewarding jobs and will help ensure that employers across the sector have the people they need to drive our economy and feed Canadians.” “The Ontario government is committed to doing everything we can to support our farmers and food processors to meet their labour needs during this unprecedented time,” said Hon. Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This project is one more way for us to invest in our farmers and the entire food supply chain so they can access the labour and training needed to continue delivering high-quality food to Ontario families.” On April 17, the provincial and federal government opened a targeted intake for the Addressing Labour Supply and Training Challenges project category under the Place to Grow: Agri-Food Innovation Initiative. The project, Enhancing Agri-Food Workforce Readiness Along the Value Chain, includes a job matching concierge, specialized agri-training, collaborative marketing, targeted regional needs, and rapid response initiatives to keep our essential food supply chain functioning. OFA is partnering with AgCareers.com and CareersinFood.com to provide an enhanced job matching concierge for farmers and food and beverage processors to set up an online account, post job openings, and manage applications. OFA will also partner to host virtual career fairs that dissolve geographic barriers, in partnership with several communities across the province. Beyond COVID-19, this platform will be particularly useful for rural and remote communities, where it can be difficult to congregate and recruit employees over vast geographies. This project complements the provincial and federal government job portals; Ontario’s Agri-Food Jobs Portal and Canada’s Step up to the Plate – Help Feed Canadians initiative. These government portals provide excellent resources and websites that can be leveraged to streamline our efforts; ensuring the jobs are posted where job seekers will find them. “We appreciate the government taking critical steps to support projects addressing labour demands and specialized training needs in our sector,” said Keith Currie, OFA President. “We are eager to work alongside our collaborative partners to deliver this project and bridge the labour gap in our industry, during COVID-19 and beyond.” As the agri-food labour gap continues to widen beyond the current challenges of the pandemic, OFA aims to encourage those employed in the sector this year to consider their future prospects, with various educational opportunities for career advancement. The project will engage institutions that show leadership in agriculture and food education, and training to inform targeted program development and curriculum delivery. OFA and our partners are looking forward to addressing labour challenges across commodities in every corner of the province to maintain a strong food supply chain through this pandemic. The agriculture and food sector is a driving force for economic recovery and renewal. For more details about the project, visit ofa.on.ca/feedingyourfuture. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, representing 38,000 farm families across the province. As a dynamic farmer-led organization based in Guelph, the OFA works to represent and champion the interests of Ontario farmers through government relations, farm policy recommendations, research, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more. OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario’s farmers and is Ontario’s voice of the farmer. This project will receive up to $396,000 in cost-share funding through the Canadian Agriculture Partnership, a five-year federal-provincial-territorial initiative. -30- For more information, contact: Keith Currie President Ontario Federation of Agriculture [email protected] Cathy Lennon General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture [email protected]
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By Paul Vickers, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture The importance of farm safety cannot be overstated, especially during the busy planting and harvesting seasons. Across the agri-food industry, we’ve all been touched by on-farm accidents and injuries. While farmers across the province are working tirelessly to plan and prepare for the upcoming growing season, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) encourages everyone to make farm safety a priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has created unique challenges for communities across Ontario. As schools and childcare centres remain closed during the state of emergency, it means there will be an influx of children and youth around the farm as seed begins to go into the ground. When farm families are meeting to discuss daily or weekly farm plans, including a plan that identifies safe play areas and age appropriate chores can be a good way to keep kids safe. In an effort to increase the importance and awareness of farm safety, OFA has launched a digital campaign sharing materials and guidelines from organizations and associations, like the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA), that provide practical hands-on resources to help keep everyone safe from planting through to harvest. With child-friendly videos from Progressive Agriculture Safety Days and training programs for young workers from Workplace Safety & Prevention Services, OFA will be providing conversation-starters to equip parents, family members and farm managers as the season unfolds. Having a conversation, educating and implementing preventative measures can be key methods to help keep everyone safe on the farm. Utilizing suitable resources for kids, like the farm safety contract or toolbox talks published by CASA, can help to ensure all generations understand how to play safely around the farm. This year, communication, signage, documentation and frequent check-ins will be more important than ever. Ensuring that everyone on the farm team understands safety protocols and equipment, and that all generations are clear on their roles and responsibilities for watching young children throughout the day, will give everyone the necessary peace of mind. The most valuable asset in promoting and implementing safety on the farm is the people. However, we acknowledge and understand the busy spring season is also accompanied with a heightened sense of mental stress and exhaustion, which at times, can result in accidents and injuries. OFA’s website and communications will also feature important reminders and resources for coping with exhaustion, maintaining mental health and options for reaching out for professional help in cases of extreme distress. To access these resources, visit ofa.on.ca/issues/mental-health. As part of our ongoing commitment to promote farm safety, earlier this year OFA launched a photo contest encouraging members, their families and employees to submit photos that demonstrate and showcase safe farm practices on their farms and on the roads. We want to see farm and road safety at work on farms across the province. For more details about the photo contest, visit ofa.on.ca/photocontest. As farmers, let’s all do our part to ensure families across the province have a safe and successful growing season. -30- For more information, contact: Paul Vickers Director Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-270-5098 Cathy Lennon General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 OFA Member Survey on Farm Business
Impacts of COVID-19 – Phase Three There’s no denying Ontario’s agri-food sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. Farmers across all commodities have been greatly impacted. OFA has conducted two surveys throughout this pandemic to monitor the effects on the agri-food sector, our farm business members and to help guide our response. A benchmarking survey was launched in March, followed by a phase two survey in April. The input and feedback we receive through these surveys help us to better understand the ways in which we can support our members and the industry through these challenging and unprecedented times. In Phase Three of our survey, we have included questions about employee training and knowledge exchange to better understand the challenges and needs of our membership. The survey should take only approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Your responses will be kept anonymous and will only be reported in aggregate form. For all the latest updates, information, announcements and resources on COVID-19, please visit OFA's central resource webpage at https://ofa.on.ca/covid-19. Please click on the button below to complete the survey. We appreciate your input and feedback during these difficult times. Complete the Survey Posted on 5 May 2020 in NewsGUELPH, ON [May 5, 2020] – During a time of uncertainty and instability for Canada’s agri-food industry, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Government of Canada announced $252 million in financial support measures for Canadian beef and pork producers and the food processing sector.
Although the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) appreciates the recognition by Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government to support beef and pork producers across the country with immediate financial assistance, today’s announcement falls short of the critical needs of the industry. “We are pleased to see the efforts of the federal government to provide financial support for Canada’s agriculture and food industry, but it’s evident this doesn’t measure up to our needs,” says OFA President Keith Currie. “Without additional financial assistance across the industry, our domestic food supply and the entire food value chain is in jeopardy. This is critical to our food security and the health and well-being of all Canadians.” OFA had recently joined the call of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) in requesting immediate financial assistance from the federal government to prevent food shortages and maintain viability of the farming and food sector. CFA identified a need of $2.6 billion in government support for the agri-food industry. The funding announcement includes $77 million to the processing sector for expanding capacity and addressing new health and safety protocols to protect employees and our food supply. The beef and pork industries were promised $125 million split between the two sectors to help producers adjust to market unpredictability and manage surplus product. OFA looks forward to hearing more details on how and when this funding will be rolled out. An investment of $50 million was provided to develop a surplus food purchase program that will allow farmers to be compensated for products that would otherwise go to waste due to excess amounts. It was also announced that dairy farmers would have access to a credit line to help adjust to changing market demands through the COVID-19 crisis. “For Ontario, the investment is important in helping beef and pork producers maintain their operations through these challenging times but significant pressures remain for livestock farmers across the province,” states Currie. “It’s a good starting point for the industry, but we know many commodities in Ontario are facing unprecedented and difficult situations.” The announced funding falls well short of addressing the critical needs of the pork industry. Ontario Pork is waiting for confirmation and details on their share of the $125 million investment and how it will impact producers. Ontario’s pork industry, which includes 1,200 producers across the province, generates $2.8 billion in economic output and close to $950 million in gross domestic product. With 19,000 producers across the province, Ontario’s beef industry is a vital contributor to the provincial economy. The sector contributes $2.69 billion annually to Ontario’s GDP. OFA will continue to advocate for our farm businesses in conversations with government to seek additional support that stretches across the industry. We know Ontarians rely on the agri-food system to ensure they have steady and reliable access to safe, healthy and affordable food products. The time is now for the federal government to support farmers and the entire food value chain through this crisis. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is the largest general farm organization in Ontario, representing 38,000 farm families across the province. As a dynamic farmer-led organization based in Guelph, the OFA works to represent and champion the interests of Ontario farmers through government relations, farm policy recommendations, research, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more. OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario’s farmers and is Ontario’s voice of the farmer. For more information, contact: Keith Currie President Ontario Federation of Agriculture [email protected] Cathy Lennon General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture [email protected] by Drew Spoelstra, Executive Member, Ontario Federation of Agriculture If your farm business is anticipating financial hardship this year due to the impacts of COVID-19 or for any additional reason, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) believes this might be the year for Ontario farmers to strongly consider enrolling in the AgriStability program. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada recently announced the deadline to enroll in the AgriStability program for 2020 has been extended from April 30 to July 3. The extension is meant to offer farm businesses additional time and flexibility to make informed decisions and assess their program coverage needs. In Ontario, AgriStability is administered by Agricorp. OFA recognizes and understands that funding cuts to AgriStability made under the Growing Forward 2 framework reduced the utility of the program and resulted in many farmers discontinuing their enrollment. However, farm businesses across the province are facing increased challenges and pressures due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment in the program may be able to help offset increased farm operation costs, market unpredictability and production losses. OFA continues to advocate with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and industry partners for changes to the program to make it viable for all farmers. Collectively, we’ve advocated for change in terms of restoring the payment trigger to 85% of historical margins and removing the Reference Margin Limitation (RML). In today’s climate, it’s apparent these changes are needed now more than ever. OFA and CFA have been actively lobbying the federal and provincial governments to provide immediate financial assistance to farmers impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. One way that the government can quickly and efficiently deliver immediate financial assistance is through enhancements to existing programs. Collaboratively, our call-to-action for policymakers has been to provide a government only contribution equal to 5% of Annual Net Sales (ANS) into AgriInvest accounts. This contribution would quickly provide much needed liquidity to farm businesses to help weather the storm of COVID-19. To be eligible for the AgriStability program you must be a Canadian farmer reporting farming income or losses to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and complete a production cycle and at least six consecutive months of farming activity in the program year. The intent of AgriStability is to provide farmers with affordable, whole farm coverage. With the enhancements proposed by industry, AgriStability together with other financial assistance programs, could provide the critical support the agriculture sector needs to weather this disaster. For more information about the program and how to apply for coverage in 2020, contact Agricorp at 1-888-247-4999 or fill out the participant form, available on agricorp.com, and submit the form by mail or fax. For more information, contact: Drew Spoelstra Executive Member Ontario Federation of Agriculture 905-379-5751 Cathy Lennon General Manager Ontario Federation of Agriculture 519-821-8883 |
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