Local Food

Letter: Budget 2022 – Economic Dignity for Farmers

While global crises multiply and intensify it is clear that we can no longer afford a food and agriculture system designed to maximize the ability of the most powerful to extract value with “just in time” and “lean” approaches while leaving farmers, workers and consumers and our communities to absorb mounting costs and burdens. Budget 2022 is the perfect time to begin building a policy framework that provides the economic dignity and resilience Canadians need to navigate our interdependent future with confidence. Read more

Taking Stock of Abattoir Regulations

How provincial rules help or hinder regional meat production

The NFU's Taking Stock of Abattoir Regulations report reviews provincial regulations on slaughter, meat processing (cut/wrap), and marketing across Canada. It highlights common points and differences among the regulations, and identifies where specific aspects of these regulations (or how they are applied) create barriers to local and regional meat production, as well as those pieces that support thriving local and regional food systems and local producers. Read more

Farmers Can’t Do it Alone. What we need to fight the climate crisis. 

In inspiring numbers, young farmers are taking to the land to act on climate – but we know that our individual zeal, commitment, and fighting spirit will not be enough to achieve the drastic reduction in on-farm emissions that we so desperately need. “I can make my own individual actions but what we really need Read more

From the Frontlines: Notes from young farmers in the face of the climate crisis

The climate crisis is the greatest threat facing agriculture today.  As farmers, our livelihood is the land, and that puts us on the frontlines of the climate crisis.  As young farmers in particular, we are grappling with the onset of the climate crisis as a warning sign of what will come to define our lives.  Read more

To Fight the Climate Crisis We Need More Young People On The Land

While it is becoming increasingly precarious to pursue farming as a career, it is also becoming increasingly compelling to do so.  For many young people, farming offers a unique and bold path forward in the face of the MANY converging and compounding crises that threaten our future.   As we explored in “Why I Farm: Reflections Read more

A vibrant small-scale meat industry for British Columbians

NFU recommendations to BC Ministry of Agriculture

The Ministry of Agriculture has recently released an Intentions Paper on “Rural Slaughter Modernization.” We are very excited to see the MoA tackling the complex issues facing the meat processing sector in BC and welcome the opportunity to influence the thinking of the MoA as they work to address the critical policies, regulations, and financial Read more

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