Local Food

Union Farmer Newsletter: October 2020

Articles in this issue: Seed Canada vote signals farmers can’t be taken for granted; Hairy canola— a big deal!; Solving climate crisis key to saving family farms: NFU has lead role in both struggles; More local, regional abattoir capacity needed; Alberta changes legislation to allow more on-farm slaughtering Read more

Urgent need for support to increase local and regional abattoir capacity

The increase in demand for locally produced food, particularly meat, in response to COVID has been widely reported all across Canada. This has the makings of an economic success story – a silver lining in the pandemic’s very dark cloud – but serious, targeted investment in to create and expand its infrastructure is needed to allow this emerging source of local prosperity to become well established. Read more

Emergency Processing Fund: NFU Input

We look forward to more details and good news about expanding our local and regional processing capacity to serve Canada livestock producers from coast to coast. Read more

Letter – Time to rebuild our meat processing system

Smaller, safer slaughter plants in each province would disperse threats to food security. If one plant was forced to close it would not disrupt the food chain across the entire country. Providing safe secure food from local farms to local consumers is entirely possible without putting meat packing workers at risk. Bigger is not always better.  Read more

Letter of Support of Farmers’ Markets & Direct Sales of Farmers’ Food across Canada

NFU letter of support for the continuance of farmers’ markets and other direct sales during the COVID-19 crisis. We urge Public Health and municipal officials to work with the markets to develop a way to continue direct sales from farmer to consumer. Public decision-makers must work to support this continuation of sales that invests in the long-term benefit for community health and economic sustainability. Read more

Farmers and Migrant Workers Need Immediate Support for 2020 Growing Season

(Saskatoon) — The National Farmers Union is pleased to see the federal government’s rapid response to the economic disruption that stems from putting urgent public health measures in place to slow the spread of pandemic COVID-19. New support programs are being rolled out to help vulnerable people during this crisis. However we are concerned that Read more

Farmers Markets Are Essential Services, says NFU

(Kingston) — The COVID-19 global pandemic highlights the vulnerabilities in our society. Our healthcare system, our globalized economy, and our food system are all being tested. Food supply chains have undergone major changes over the past several decades as a result of globalization. Corporations coordinate transnational shipments to precisely balance supply and demand, keeping inventories Read more

Chickens greet opening of New Brunswick legislature

Fredericton – The National Farmers Union of New Brunswick (NFU-NB) will mark the opening of the NB’s Legislative Session by protesting with avian allies For more than ten years, NFU-NB has been campaigning for family farms and for recognition of agriculture as a driver of community economic development with adequate financial support. In these ten years, Read more

National Food Policy must be seen as a base for further action

The Food Policy for Canada is a first step towards bringing food, farmers and the people of Canada who eat the food we produce, into the forefront of Canada’s agriculture policy priorities Read more

NFU-O Submission on Animal Welfare Legislation

We support publicly accountable animal protection that is adequately and publicly funded, and provides inspection and enforcement by properly trained personnel. Read more