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Faced with environmental challenges and the ripple effects of the war in the Middle East, advocates for Newfoundland and Labrador’s agriculture sector are calling on the provincial government to bring in relief.
Wayne Simmons, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture and co-owner of Hammond Farm Ltd. in Little Rapids, said food production in the province is tracking in the right direction year-over-year.
But there are challenges, he added, pointing to last year’s historic wildfires and drought conditions that impacted parts of the province. A hot and dry summer led to abnormal growing conditions and forced farmers to grapple with a hay shortage.
“Every year seems to be a problem and it’s hard for Newfoundland to try and get ahead because it seems like every year something happens,” Simmons told CBC News.
One major problem farmers are facing are increasing fertilizer costs, he said, adding it’s a pricey product that’s become increasingly expensive due to the war in the Middle East.
The region is a major transit point as products like oil and fertilizers are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Fertilizer prices are also set by global markets, as opposed to local markets.
Fertilizer also has to be brought into N.L., said Simmons, adding transportation costs. Some farmers he’s talked to are seeing price increases of 20 to 30 per cent this year.
“My fertilizer supplier told me he’s heard as much as a 200 per cent fuel surcharge to bring it in to Newfoundland,” he said.
Simmons said he’d like the provincial government to bring in assistance to help farmers, like reintroducing a fertilizer fund to help offset costs.
He’d also like to see the federal and provincial government cut more red tape for things like buying land, as well as tax relief for young farmers.
‘Difficult to sustain’
Greg Hewlett, the executive director of the non-profit Food Producers Forum, said one major hurdle farmers face is that the province has lost approximately 51 per cent of its agricultural land in the last 20 years, according to Statistics Canada data.
“It means fewer farms, less diversity and what gets grown in a province that is more dependent on imported food than it was a generation ago,” Hewlett recently told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.
He said farmland is being lost through several ways, from private land being sold for development to leased land being abandoned or not passed on to other farmers when farmers retire.
“Until we address some of these underlying conditions, it’s going to make farming here difficult to sustain,” Hewlett said.
Hewlett would like the province to bring in changes on a structural level, like having institutions like schools and hospitals be required to prioritize local procurement for food.
“I think that would create stable, reliable demand that small producers could really plan around.”
In the PC Party’s blue book from the recent provincial election, it outlined several initiatives to boost the agriculture sector, like a 10-year agriculture strategy and a commitment to use more Crown land for farming.
CBC News asked for an interview with Minister of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands Pleaman Forsey but was sent a statement on his behalf from spokesperson Sara Rideout that included a list of existing government programs, like the vegetable transplant program and 50-year Crown land leases.
“Agriculture is vital for our economy and our communities. By focusing on local food production, our goal is to help farmers provide fresh, healthy food and improve food security in Newfoundland and Labrador. Investing in sustainable agricultural practices helps preserve our natural resources for future generations,” the statement reads.
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