NFU Briefs 2009

NFU presentation to Canadian Grain Commission on maximum shrinkage deductions at licensed process and transfer elevators

The National Farmers Union welcomes this opportunity to present its views on the issue of shrinkage deductions on grain. The NFU represents thousands of grain farmers in the prairie region who have a direct interest in the regulatory framework under which the Canadian Grain Commission operates.

The NFU has put forward the views of its members on numerous occasions over the past decade on issues involving the Canadian Grain Commission. We believe it is of critical importance that the integrity of the mandate of the Canada Grain Act be maintained, and that the Canadian Grain Commission operate in the interests of grain producers.

NFU Presentation on standards of fusarium blight toxin levels in wheat

As far back as 2003, the National Farmers Union has been calling for action on the issue of increasing incidence of fusarium—see attached letter. We are pleased that the Standing Committee on Agriculture is now conducting hearings concerning fusarium, but we do wish that more attention had been paid to the issue when we were raising it 6 years ago.

• Background information – a letter from the NFU to the CFIA dated June 22, 2003

  attached below

NFU presentation on Supply-Management to Parliamentary Committee on International Trade

The NFU strongly contends that trade should be used to enhance economies, not to replace economies.

NFU presentation on competitiveness and competition to Commons Agriculture Committee

The solution to the farm income crisis is simple: Canadian federal and provincial legislation, policies, and regulations must cease strengthening the most powerful and profitable in the system and instead rebalance the strength and profitability of farmers relative to these agribusiness giants. We must curb, not fortify, the capacities of the dominant global transnationals to capture and export the wealth produced on our soil and by our communities.

NFU presentation to the House of Commons Subcommittee on Food Safety

Family farmers are committed to a food system that provides safe and healthy food to people in this country and abroad. Food production is more than a business to us. As stewards of the land and water, we take very seriously our responsibility to ensure that the food we produce nourishes this and future generations. We strive to ensure that the agronomic practices we use are safe and sustainable, and we welcome regulations which are designed to assist in helping us achieve those objectives. Indeed, the vast majority of our members voluntarily exceed regulatory expectations in their efforts to produce safe and healthy food.

NFU Response to the Saskatchewan Uranium Development Partnership Report

The National Farmers Union has a long-standing policy of opposition to the expansion of uranium mining and nuclear power, as well as opposition to nuclear weapons. This policy was reinforced at the most recent NFU national convention, held in November, 2008, in Saskatoon.

NFU Submission to the House of Commons Environment Committee on the Tar Sands and the impact on water resources

While primary food production remains the heartbeat of rural Alberta, the economic and environmental health of rural communities is increasingly threatened by relentless exploitation of hydrocarbon resources.

NFU letter regarding National Farmed Animal Health Strategy

The Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC) states in its 2007-2008 annual report that: “75% of emerging human diseases are zoonotic in origin” and acknowledges that the implications of “animal health” cannot be confined strictly to animal agriculture.

Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women: The effects and consequences of the current Employment Insurance (EI) programs on women in Canada

The National Farmers Union (NFU) welcomes this opportunity to present our views and recommendations regarding the Employment Insurance Program‟s effects and consequences on women to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Submission by the National Farmers Union to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) on the potential liability of farmers due to changes to the Canada Grain Act and the Canadian Grain Commission

In December, 2007, Bill C-39, An Act to Amend the Canada Grain Act, was introduced into the House of Commons. That piece of legislation died on the order paper in the fall of 2008 due to a federal election. However, similar legislation is expected to be put forward by the federal government in the near future. This impending legislation, combined with the regulatory changes which have occurred over the past year, pose a profound risk to Manitoba grain producers, and by extension, to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation.

Submission to the Canadian Grain Commission Consultation on Inspection and Weighing Requirements for Grain Exported to the United States

The members of the NFU strongly advocate retention and strengthening of CGC official weighing and inspection of all grains destined for export, whether that grain is exported to the United States or any other destination, and regardless of whether the grain is shipped from primary elevators on the prairies, transfer elevators, or terminal elevators at tidewater.