Agriculture Minister Ritz and MP Mcleod sit down with ranchers and farmers in Kamloops

January 29, 2010

Kamloops - Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz sat down today for a roundtable discussion with farmers and ranchers in Kamloops.

“The roundtable was designed to get input from these experts on our agricultural policies and to inform them about programs the Government of Canada is delivering for farm families,” said McLeod.

“Our Government knows that farmers and ranchers are the backbone of Canada’s economy,” said Minister Ritz. “That’s why this Government had made agriculture a key priority in the Economic Action Plan. We’re listening to farmers and producers to make sure that our programs are working for them.”

Minister Ritz used the opportunity to highlight key priorities in Canada’s Economic Action Plan that are designed to help farmers succeed during this time of economic instability. They include:

• Opening and expanding market opportunities for Canadian farmers and exporters in key markets around the world;
• Improved access to credit for new farmers through the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA);
• The Business Risk Management Suite, providing stable, bankable programs to help farmers weather economic storms;
• A $500 million Agricultural Flexibility fund to invest in marketing, innovation, and environmental projects; and,
• Tax relief for farm families.

“I was pleased to host this roundtable, which allowed me to fulfill my campaign 2008 commitment to the agriculture community. As our economy begins to recover, our Government will continue to pursue open and fair trade for our farmers, producers and processors so farmers can boost their bottom line,” concluded McLeod.