Agriculture and Agri-Food

This House of Commons Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee meeting studied the government's regulatory reform initiative in agriculture and agri-food. Witnesses included Diane Sawley, ranch manager of Anchor P Cattle Company; Erin Sawley, co-owner of East Point Cattle Corporation; Richard Lee, executive director of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers; Greg Donald, general manager of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board; and Phil Tregunno, chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers.

Diane Sawley described the significant time and resources her family ranch spent on bovine tuberculosis testing ordered by the CFIA, including approximately 800 man-hours gathering cattle across multiple locations and a month-long testing process. She noted that while the CFIA showed some flexibility on scheduling, policies and procedures were inconsistent throughout testing, and the only compensation offered was for the 11 depopulated cows, with no reimbursement for other costs like lost grazing, disrupted breeding, or missed marketing opportunities. She argued it is inequitable for individual producers to bear the full burden of maintaining a disease-free industry.

Erin Sawley testified that her entire herd of over 2,000 cattle was ordered destroyed by the CFIA in February 2025 due to a positive bovine tuberculosis case, and over 300 days later she still has no idea what compensation she will receive. She criticized the CFIA for rigid procedures, insufficient communication, and a lack of flexibility, noting that she had to feed and care for the animals for 40 days at her own expense before depopulation and spent the entire summer cleaning and disinfecting without compensation. She recommended adopting an evergreen compensation model like Saskatchewan's wildlife predation program, which uses current market data, and argued that the current system undermines producer compliance because non-compliance can offer similar outcomes.

Richard Lee called for streamlining approval processes for crop protection tools, particularly by expediting PMRA reviews of low-risk products and aligning timelines with trading partners like the U.S. and EU. He highlighted inconsistent CFIA oversight due to a shortage of trained inspectors and advocated for a formal complaint process, noting that inspectors have too much discretion and that challenging them risks reprisal. He also recommended consolidating overlapping reporting obligations into a single platform and reviewing cost-recovery models to ensure fees are proportionate to services provided.

Greg Donald urged the CFIA and PMRA to adopt a more business- and trade-oriented mindset, arguing that the current approach is overly cautious and disconnected from industry realities. He cited the 2021 U.S. market closure for P.E.I. potatoes as an example where scientific risk assessments were not backed by political leadership, and noted that despite a government-appointed expert panel finding potato wart low risk, the ministerial order banning seed potato exports has not been lifted and seed growers have received no compensation. He also called for reducing redundant audits and adopting modern inspection technologies like drones and optical sorters.

Phil Tregunno highlighted delays in CFIA processes, such as a request for updated nectarine labelling and grading standards made in 2020 that still has not been completed. He advocated for using next-generation sequencing technology to speed up virus testing for new fruit varieties, which could reduce the current seven-to-ten-year timeline for bringing new varieties to market. He also noted that PMRA lacks sufficient resources to process minor-use crop chemical applications, forcing growers to rely on emergency registrations that are reactive rather than proactive.

The committee agreed to pause the current regulatory reform study to prioritize a study on the grocery code of conduct, beginning October 20, with the minister appearing October 23. They also scheduled a one-meeting study on spent fowl, with producers and processors heard before officials, to begin no later than October 27, with further scheduling to be confirmed based on witness availability.