Discussing the comparative advantage in Canada’s agri-food sector
The agricultural industry is more versatile than you might expect and is continuing in that direction. This is the message the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry highlighted during their visit to the University of Guelph on March 11. The Senate participated in a round-table discussion with students from various disciplines in the university. The stop at U of G was one of a few on the Senate’s fact-finding mission.
“We are interested in how competitive the Canadian industry is right now and how we can add more,” said Diane Griffin, a senator from Prince Edward Island, about the agri-food sector. “What can happen to make our industry more valuable and therefore more attractive?”
The meeting was held in a conference room on the fourth floor of the University Centre. Photographers buzzed around, catching the event on film. A number of undergraduate and graduate students were represented on the panel, as well as the Dean of the Ontario Agriculture College, Rene Van Acker. Students were engaged in the conversation and eager to share their thoughts with the Senate Committee while the committee was just as eager to hear the input of students.
The topic of focus was on how Canada’s agri-food processing industry can remain competitive in the domestic market while also expanding internationally.
Panellists told the senators their experiences working with value-added products, as well as concerns that they think need to be addressed in the future. The importance of consumer education and how improved awareness would help to garner support and labour for the agricultural and value-added sectors was emphasized on multiple accounts.
“I think it’s important to shed light on some of the negatives […] and the effect that they are having on consumers,” said Elaine Jeffs, an undergraduate OAC student, highlighting her concern about how value-added foods are marketed to the public. “For example, if a fast food chain switches to beef not produced in Canada, are they creating anything valuable or is it just creating fear?”
Jeffs point related to how labels like organic and hormone-free can be misleading; they can play on people’s fears. This is a problem for Canada’s value-added agri-food sector as it can lead the public to refrain from engaging with and purchasing Canadian goods.
In terms of innovation in value-added agri-food products, the Senate Committee agreed that the response from government needs to be more open to young people wanting to develop businesses in the industry.
Student panellist Brendan McDougall and some classmates explored the idea of launching an alcoholic cider venture during their undergrads, but the regulatory obstacles stopped them from continuing the project.
“The taxes pushed us out of the margin of profitability and the margin of ‘do I even want to do this?’” McDougall told The Ontarion.
There needs to be a shift towards a culture of innovation, according to Van Acker. Working for the commons is great, but efforts for the individual are required too; this is how we accelerate our commercialization of knowledge. People are driven to innovate when there is incentive involved. Perhaps this is what is required to expand the Canadian agri-food sector.
According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada’s agri-food sector employs 2.3 million people. However, with approximately four jobs available per OAC graduate, what we really need is more students, more workers, and more innovation in the Canadian agri-food industry. As Senator Robert Black pointed out, the four to one ratio of jobs to students is great news for agri-food students, but it also means that three companies will suffer for each company that benefits.
Photos from University of Guelph twitter page (@uofg)