Agriculture ministers vow to open markets

CALGARY — Canada’s agriculture ministers have pledged to open new markets through trade agreements while protecting the country’s eggs, dairy and poultry from foreign competition.

The ministers concluded two days of meetings in Calgary on Friday with a document outlining goals in developing a new agricultural policy framework.

They issued a statement making a series of commitments ranging from promising to respect the current 60-40 federal-provincial cost-share ratio for funding to examining how government can help reinforce confidence and public trust in the agriculture sector.

It was Lawrence MacAuley’s first meeting as federal agriculture minister with his provincial and territorial counterparts.

MacAuley called the discussions productive and noted they reached common ground on a number of key areas.

He said the Canadian agriculture sector generates more than $108 billion for the national economy and is the single largest employer of all manufacturing sectors, providing jobs to one in eight Canadians.

“We want to make sure farmers and processors can continue to take advantage of new global market opportunities,” MacAuley said.

The current supply management system shields Canadian farm products from foreign competition and guarantees certain farmers a price and demand for their products..

The statement says that while Canada continues to open new prospects through trade agreements, non-tariff trade barriers remain an obstacle.