UPA urges Fonds de solidarité, Caisse to withdraw from Pangea farm project

The Union des producteurs agricoles is demanding that the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Fonds de solidarité de la FTQ withdraw from the Pangea project and is repeating its call for the Quebec government to limit the project’s access to agricultural land.

The UPA made the statement at a press conference on Wednesday alongside the David Suzuki Foundation and the Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec.

UPA president Marcel Groleau says Pangea, which buys and seeks developers for agricultural land, is using a business model that drives up the price of farmland and is tantamount to “using Quebecers’ money to finance a hostile takeover of our agricultural heritage.”

The UPA had already demanded, in a parliamentary committee hearing, that buyers be limited to 100 hectares apiece of agricultural land per year for three years to safeguard access to land for future generations.

Contacted by phone, Fonds de solidarité spokesman Patrick McQuilken said they will not be withdrawing, calling Pangea “an alternative that meets a need.” The Caisse declined to comment. Pangea co-founder Serge Fortin accused the UPA of “having a very poor understanding of our model.”

He said the farmers with whom Pangea does business “remain owners” of their land, but agree to cultivate more in a 51-49 per cent arrangement with Pangea.

In Quebec, Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard said the Pangea model is “under review” and that he wants to ensure it corresponds with the family farm model that Quebec wants to support.