FARM AID FALLS SHORT
Potatoes may be left to rot
A first-of-its-kind federal program aimed at redistributing surplus food during the COVID-19 pandemic is an initial step toward moving some of the thousands of tonnes of excess potatoes currently stuck in storage on southern Alberta farms, producers say.
However, farmers warn the $50-million program will only go so far, meaning large quantities of good-quality potatoes could still end up being turned out onto fields and left to rot this summer.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of a new surplus food purchase program to assist farmers who have lost their markets due to COVID-19 while helping communities and families in need to get food.
The program, part of a total $252-million government investment in agriculture announced by Trudeau on Tuesday, will help redistribute existing and unsold inventories of products such as potatoes and poultry, both of which have suffered a collapse in demand due to the pandemic.
In southern Alberta — the province’s potato-growing epicentre and home to major french fry and frozen potato processing facilities including Mccain Foods, Cavendish Farms and Lamb Weston — the effects of COVID-19 and wide-scale restaurant closures have been severe. There are simply not enough people eating fries right now to absorb all the potatoes that are out there.
“We have seen a significant reduction in demand, which has translated into less operating days at our Lethbridge facility and an oversupply of potatoes from last year’s crop,” Cavendish Farms spokeswoman Mary Keith said in an email. “This has also had an impact on contracting less acres for next year than originally planned.”
Michel Camps, who farms in the Taber area and sits on the board of Potato Growers of Alberta, said in general, contracted acres for the industry are down 20 to 25 per cent for the new growing season, which will have a significant negative effect on producers’ revenue in the coming year.
In addition, most farmers still have potatoes from the 2019 harvest sitting in storage on their farms. Camps estimates there are currently about 20,000 tonnes of potatoes in southern Alberta with nowhere to go.
“We think right now in Alberta there are $8-million worth of potatoes that there is no home for,” Camps said. “It’s going to be a great economic loss.”
Some of the surplus potatoes can be sold as livestock feed, though that doesn’t bring in much money for farmers. Potatoes that have been in storage over the winter are perishable and are at risk of spoiling as the weather warms up.
“It’s a pretty dire situation,” said Chris Perry, who grows potatoes on his Coaldale-area farm. “Feedlots can only handle so much, and not all of them are geared to take a feed like potatoes ... so there will definitely be some dumping.”
While details of the federal government’s surplus food purchase program have not yet been announced, both Perry and Camps welcomed the news. But they said the problem is so widespread, it may not be enough to tide over farmers until the market recovers, or to prevent good-quality potatoes from being turned out onto fields and plowed under.
“The very last thing myself or any other grower in southern Alberta
likes to see is to throw away perfectly good potatoes,” Camps said. “That’s a very, very painful thing to do. We will go to a lot of effort to make sure that doesn’t happen. But in an extreme year like this year? We might not have much of a choice.”
Max Koeune, president and CEO of Mccain Foods, said in a news release the company applauds the federal government for “listening and taking action.”
“We are keen to see the details of the program, including timings,” Koeune said. “This support needs to be in place quickly as potatoes in store are at risk of spoiling.”
Koeune added he was encouraged by the prime minister’s suggestion that more funding for Canadian farmers and food producers will be available if and when required.
The Calgary Food Bank said Wednesday it was also waiting on more details about the program. However, spokeswoman Shawna Ogston said any plan to redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste to families in need is an “incredible gesture.”
“A lot of what we already get is from the food industry, and if they (the government) can help expedite that process, it would be fantastic,” Ogston said.
The Calgary Food Bank currently distributes approximately 1,200 food hampers per week.