Agricultural producers celebrate buying local

Martin Caron, First Vice President of the Upa-estrie, the local union of agriculture producers, stated in an update earlier this week that Quebecers taking interest in purchasing locally produced food and products has proven that citizens are local producers’ greatest allies.

“For us, food self-sufficiency is a very unifying and highly relevant project,” Caron said in a press release. “The citizens of Quebec are our greatest allies in bringing that to fruition.”

The release, which described highlights from the UPA’S annual general assembly, detailed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agriculture industry. It stated that market disruptions, breaks in work, mainly in slaughterhouses, delay and absences of expected temporary workers, and a loss of crops, and a significant drought in May and June have had heavy impacts on the industry.

All sectors of agriculture were affected and not all damage has yet to be accounted for, but consumer interest in buying local has increased in the last year. The release also noted that the Canadian government’s interest in increasing the country’s food autonomy is an opportunity that must be taken full advantage of, as it will allow the Canadian and Quebec agriculture industries to grow and flourish.

Vice President Michel Brien spoke on the media representation of the agriculture and forestry industries, saying that the positive representation of both sectors has been influential in the public decision to invest in local markets.

There was also discussion of the climate emergency and how the industry can do better and modify farming practices in accordance with the ever-changing climate. President of Upa-estrie, Francois Bourassa, said that we all must make adjustments to the way we produce and consume, but that the increasing interest in local goods is a step in the right direction.

Nearly 100 agricultural producers attended the video conference AGM under the theme ‘Feeding our World More Than Ever’.