National Farm Products Council 2002
30 years in review

MINISTER'S MESSAGE

As Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, I am delighted to see the National Farm Products Council complete a 30 year record of success.

The Council, in working closely with the poultry and egg industries, has helped to reduce business risk and stabilize Canada’s supply of high-quality, safe, affordable food. Its work with the new beef cattle promotion and research agency will help Canadian producers grow today’s markets and develop new opportunities.

These accomplishments are central to the success of the Agricultural Policy Framework, which aims to make Canadian agriculture the world leader in food safety and quality, environmentally responsible production and innovation. They also enhance the performance of a sector that plays a major role in the Canadian economy.

Agri-food today is this country’s third-largest employer, and a major contributor to the quality of Canadian life. The National Farm Products Council is doing its part to ensure the strength and competitiveness of Canadian agriculture in the 21st century.

Lyle Vanclief

Mission

To ensure that the national orderly marketing of farm products works in the balanced interests of all stakeholders, from producers to consumers.

Mandate

• To advise the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on all matters relating to the agencies established under the Farm Products Agencies Act, with a view to maintaining and promoting an efficient and competitive agriculture industry.

• To review the operations of the marketing agencies to ensure that they meet their objectives as set out in the legislation.

• To work with the agencies in promoting more effective marketing of farm products in interprovincial and export trade.

• To work with promotion-research agencies in connection with primary production research and the promotion of regulated farm products.

Created in 1972, the Council is an agency within the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada portfolio, and reports directly to Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

CHAIRPERSON'S MESSAGE

As Canada has grown and diversified over the last 30 years, so has the industry that provides its food. Thirty years ago, Parliament enabled national agencies to stabilize fluctuating supplies and prices, and introduced the National Farm Products Council as a review agency to ensure the system worked for all, from producers through to consumers.

Partners from the beginning, government and industry have accomplished a great deal. Markets stabilized and prices became more predictable, minimizing business risk and enhancing opportunities in every region of the country. As the system matured, producers and processors could meet the challenge of keeping up with Canadian consumers. Enriched by our global travel, our sophisticated communications, and the contributions of new Canadians, we have developed a wide range of tastes.

Today’s challenges are complex. Canadian producers, processors and further processors must deliver tasty, convenient, reasonably priced, high-quality food products to market in many forms. They are improving the supply chain at every link, and focusing on innovative approaches to meet the needs of consumers.

Innovation applies as well to our own work. The concept of a government-reviewed national agency has now been extended into promotion and research, with the establishment of the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency. This agency, the first of its kind in Canada, will use check-offs to provide a stable funding source for research, market development and promotion activities. I invite other producer groups to consider whether they would benefit from an agency of their own, and whether the agency concept could be adapted to other needs.

At 30 years old, the National Farm Products Council is a unique and remarkable organization that draws together government policy expertise with marketplace knowledge. I thank the Council members and staff for their excellent contributions.

The challenge of supplying today’s diverse, complex marketplace probably could not have been met 30 years ago. Today Canadian agriculture is meeting that challenge, and its partnership with governments continues to thrive. And, from my perspective, I am pleased to report that the system continues to work in the balanced interest of all Canadians.

Cynthia Currie

THE COUNCIL

Members

The National Farm Products Council is composed of at least three members, and may have up to nine. At least half of them must be primary producers at the time of their appointment, according to the legislation that created the Council. The Cabinet appoints them to terms of two to five years. The Chairperson is the only full-time Council member.

Cynthia Currie,  Chairperson (1997-2005)
Cynthia Currie has chaired the National Farm Products Council since 1997 and is its only full-time member. Previously she was General Manager of the Canadian Chicken Marketing Agency, now known as the Chicken Farmers of Canada. She is a past member of the Canadian Agri-Food Marketing Council and the Agri-Food and Beverage Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade. She resides in Ottawa.

Ron O'Connor, Vice-Chairperson (1998-2004)
Ron O’Connor was appointed to the National Farm Products Council in 1998, and became Vice-Chairperson in 1999. A resident of Shelburne, Ontario, Mr. O’Connor owns and operates Irm-Ron Farms Limited. He is a former Chairman of the Chicken Farmers of Ontario, and has served on numerous egg and chicken industry committees in Ontario.

Lorraine Arnett, Member (1999-2003)
With her family partners, Lorraine Arnett owns and operates a 345 acre mixed farm near Durham, Ontario with a broiler and cow calf operation, as well as cash crops. She is the comptroller of Bert Fisher Farms Ltd., Fisher Feeds Ltd., and associated companies in Listowel, Ontario.

Anne Chong Hill, Member (1998-2004)
Anne Chong Hill is the co-founder and President of Global Gourmet Foods Inc. of British Columbia, a supplier of food products to multi-unit chain accounts and institutions. She is a member of the Canadian Agri-Food Marketing Council, and a member of the Advisory Council to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries of British Columbia. She resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.

David Coburn, Member (1998-2002)
David Coburn manages W.B. Coburn & Sons, a sixth-generation family farm in Keswick, New Brunswick. He is Past President of the New Brunswick Federation of Agriculture and an Honourary Associate of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. In 1995 he and Karen Coburn, his wife, received the Outstanding Young Farmers of Atlantic Canada award.

Félix Destrijker, Member (2001-2004)
Félix Destrijker is the former Chairperson of the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, a former director of the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec, and a former vice-president of the Fédération des Producteurs d’œufs de consommation du Québec. A resident of St-Ludger, Quebec, Mr. Destrijker co-owns four enterprises: Avibeau Inc. and La Ferme Hellebecq, poultry farms in St-Ludger; Les Oeufs Blais & Breton Enr., an egg and egg product distribution company in St-Bernard; and Vitoeuf Inc., an egg processing and further processing company in St-Hyacinthe.

Maurice Giguère, Member (2001-2004)
Maurice Giguère, a resident of Otterburn-Park, Quebec, is Director General of the Centre de recherche, développement et de transfert technologique en acériculture. A member of the Association des MBAs du Québec, he is the former president of the Association des abattoirs avicoles du Québec, and a former board member of the Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency, the Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors Council, and the Association des manufacturiers de produits alimentaires du Québec.

John A. (Sandy) McCurrach, Member (1998-2004)
Sandy McCurrach is the former owner and operator of Purity Feed Co. Ltd. and Jamieson Creek Ranch, in Kamloops, British Columbia. He is a past executive member of the Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency, the B.C. Turkey Marketing Board, and the B.C. Feed Industry Association.

Michel Veillette, Member (1997-2008)
Michel Veillette, a resident of Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, is the former President of Froma-Dar Inc. and André Frappier Inc., manufacturers and distributors of specialty cheeses. He was also Vice-President of Les Produits Laitiers J. A. Baribeau Ltée. A former President of the Conseil de l’Industrie Laitière du Québec, Mr. Veillette is a former Member of Parliament and was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs from 1981 to 1984.

THE NFPC AT 30: GROWING UP CANADIAN

Origins

Thirty years ago, the Government of Canada created the National Farm Products Council (NFPC). Its goal was to help stabilize agricultural trade between the provinces.

Within provinces, marketing boards had operated successfully, and in some cases for decades, to stabilize the supply and price of many farm products. But the trade between provinces was not regulated or coordinated. As transportation and communications improved, narrowing distances between markets, competition among producers and processors caused supplies and prices to fluctuate.

In 1972, Parliament linked the intraprovincial marketing powers of the provinces with federal powers over interprovincial and export trade. It enabled farm product groups to come together as national marketing agencies equipped with the authority to regulate interprovincial trade and to allocate production to provinces. It created the NFPC to ensure that these agencies would work in the interests of consumers as well as producers.

Evolution

The new Council went to work as soon as it was created. Based on its advice, the government established the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency within the same year. It was the first of what would become four national marketing agencies operating under the Council’s review.

Two years later, in 1974, the government created the Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency. The Canadian Chicken Marketing Agency, later known as the Chicken Farmers of Canada, was established in 1978. And the Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Marketing Agency came into existence in 1986.

As it settled into its operational routine, the Council adopted the structure that it still uses today. It had been established as a decision-making body with six members, four of them full-time. As it evolved, the Council expanded to nine members in order to ensure it had the expertise and the geographical representation it needed to monitor the additional agencies. In expanding, the Council reduced its full-time complement of members to one. Even today, the Chairperson is the Council’s only full-time member.

The concept at the heart of the Council’s work, that of an industry-run agency operating under governmental review, proved its value from the start. Over the years, it became apparent that an agency could handle functions other than the orderly marketing of farm products. One idea was that an agency could marshal the resources of a farm products group to conduct research and develop new products and new ways of promotion.

In 1993, Parliament wrote the promotion and research agency concept into law, and assigned the agency review function to the Council. In 2002, the Council began to review a fifth national agency, the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency.

In addition to its duties with respect to national agencies, the Council received responsibility in 1995 to administer the Agricultural Products Marketing Act. This legislation delegates federal authority for interprovincial and export trade to provincial commodity boards which exercise this power within their province. This administrative responsibility has brought the Council into relationships with many more agriculture product groups across Canada, such as milk, hogs, vegetables, fruit, maple syrup, forest products, and more. However, none of these groups is included in the national agencies that form the mainstay of Council’s work.

THE NFPC TODAY

About the NFPC

The NFPC is responsible for overseeing the activities of five national agencies established under the Farm Products Agencies Act, and it also administers orders and regulations related to the Agricultural Products Marketing Act.

This mandate positions the Council within a three-way relationship.

Within the Government of Canada, it advises the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on all matters relating to the operations of agencies established under the Farm Products Agencies Act. Its purpose is to promote an efficient and competitive agriculture industry. It reports directly to the Minister, works within the broader agricultural portfolio, and coordinates its work with other federal government departments.

The Council also consults with the provincial and territorial governments, as they share constitutional jurisdiction over agriculture with the federal government. In practical terms, the provincial and territorial governments handle marketing matters within their borders, and the federal government deals with interprovincial and international concerns.

Finally, the Council interacts with the agriculture and agri-food industry through the national agencies, industry associations, and industry leaders. The agencies use power delegated by the Parliament of Canada, and the Council provides an oversight function to confirm that the agencies fulfill the purposes for which they were created. These purposes are to promote strong, efficient and competitive production and marketing while taking the interests of producers and consumers into account.

In practical terms, the Council is the federal government organization responsible for four supply-managed commodities (eggs, chicken, turkey, and broiler hatching eggs). In addition, the Council monitors the operations of the beef cattle research and promotion agency, and it will provide oversight for any other agency established under the Farm Products Agencies Act.

The NFPC and supply management

Supply management matches the domestic production and imports of a farm product to the level of demand. It ensures a stable supply of poultry and eggs for the agri-food industry and consumers, and enables producers to manage their business risk by uniting to negotiate volume with buyers, such as processing companies.

Organizations with government-approved power to manage supply (i.e. marketing boards) have existed in Canada since the 1930s. Initially, there was little interprovincial trade and the boards could operate effectively inside their provincial boundaries. Over time, improvements in transportation and communications allowed interprovincial trade to grow. By the early 1970s, it became clear that rising trade between the provinces would require a national regulatory mechanism and, in 1971, the provincial governments asked the Government of Canada to take up the matter. In 1972, Parliament passed the Farm Products Marketing Agencies Act to fulfill this need.

Four national marketing agencies manage the supply of Canadian chicken, turkey, eggs, and broiler hatching eggs. They implement and administer marketing plans, allocate production quotas, and finance their operations through levies, or fees, on all production. The Council approves their orders including allocations and levies, and hears complaints.

Together, these four national marketing agencies have helped the poultry and egg industries to grow. In 2001, for example, consumers spent an estimated $4.3 billion on poultry meat and eggs. The sector accounted for 13.4% of livestock cash receipts. In addition to the employment created by 4,800 producers, the poultry and egg industries estimated that they employed some 21,500 Canadians at 131 meat-processing plants, 352 egg-grading stations, 78 poultry hatcheries and 34 egg stock hatcheries.

NATIONAL MARKETING AGENCIES - 2002 IN REVIEW

Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA)

CEMA’s long-established On-Farm Food Safety Program drew closer in 2002 to finishing a technical review required by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The agency expected to complete the review in 2003. The agency also moved forward toward completing its new Federal-Provincial-Territorial Agreement, which sets out the working arrangements between industry participants and governments.

CEMA also faced a financial challenge during the year as its industrial product program lost $11.5 million. The agency attributed the loss to a significant rise in industrial product, as well as rising feed prices caused by drought. The agency raised its levy in August, drawing a reminder from the NFPC that CEMA would need to find alternatives to future levy increases.

As well, the agency provided support to the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council for the completion of a new Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pullets, Layers and Spent Fowl.

Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency (CTMA)

In 2002, CTMA set out a plan to assess whether it should allocate production quotas within two weight categories, rather than one, to improve the marketplace balance between supply and demand. The agency will review over three years whether the dual allocation system better responds to market demand for both light and heavy birds.

The agency also redeveloped its "Turkey Tuesday" advertising campaign to promote turkey dishes as versatile, low-fat foods. The television and print campaign will run in 2003 and 2004.

Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC)

In 2002, CFC became the first national agricultural group to complete the technical review of its On-Farm Food Safety Program. The program, branded "Safe, Safer, Safest," meets the requirements established by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Producers will implement CFC’s program in 2003.

Also, CFC and poultry processors reached agreement on a new methodology for implementing Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQ) in response to higher demand for chicken products not included on the Import Control List. The TRQs allow foreign suppliers access to the Canadian market in accordance with Canada’s international trade treaties. The new TRQ methodology was implemented in 2003.

CFC also continued its funding support for research projects. In 2002, the agency donated $200,000 to the Centre for Poultry Research in Montreal. In addition, CFC continued to support projects through its Research Fund.

Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Marketing Agency (CBHEMA)

CBHEMA’s On-Farm Food Safety Program progressed in 2002, with the agency stating that it expected to clear the CFIA technical review process early in 2003.

The agency also advanced its Federal-Provincial Agreement and said it expected to complete the agreement in 2003.

Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA)

CEMA, created in 1972, manages Canada's supply of eggs. Each year, it sets a national production level that meets domestic demand for the table and processing markets. CEMA allocates this quota between the provincial and territorial boards, which then allot quotas to 1,146 registered producers. Visit CEMA at   www.canadaegg.ca

Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency (CTMA)

CTMA, established in 1974, annually estimates the demand for turkey and allocates this volume among the marketing boards in its eight member provinces (all except Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island). The marketing boards then allot quotas to 542 registered producers. Visit CTMA at   www.canadianturkey.ca

Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC)

CFC, set up in 1978 as the Canadian Chicken Marketing Agency, sets a national production level every eight weeks based on demand estimates provided by provincial commodity boards and processors. Its allocation decision provides each board with quotas for allotment to 2,815 registered producers. Visit CFC at  www.chicken.ca

Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Marketing Agency (CBHEMA)

CBHEMA, started in 1986, estimates the national demand for broiler hatching eggs and allocates production among its five member provinces (Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia). Within each province, a marketing board allots production to registered producers. The national agency also regulates the movement of hatching eggs and chicks between member and non-member provinces. Visit CBHEMA at  www.cbhema.com

The NFPC in promotion and research

In addition to helping stabilize production and producer income, many provincial and territorial commodity boards carry out a number of other functions. Some promote products, develop new markets and promote new production and management techniques. In 1993, Parliament revised the Farm Products Agencies Act to allow the creation of national agencies, funded by levies on domestic and imported products, to conduct promotion and research.

Currently only one such agency exists — the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency. The Council, as the organization responsible for national farm product agencies, held public hearings on the proposed agency. Acting on the Council’s recommendation, the government established the beef cattle agency in 2002.

The beef cattle agency may become the forerunner of other promotion and research agencies. Interested farm product groups will need to develop an agency proposal and confirm that the idea has enough support among producers. The Farm Products Agencies Act sets out a clear role for the NFPC including a requirement for public hearings. The Council looks forward to exploring this concept with interested organizations.

2002 IN REVIEW

Canadian Poultry Research Council

As part of its mandate to promote efficient marketing, the NFPC provided $50,000 to the Canadian Poultry Research Council (CPRC) so it could hold a national symposium. Held in November, the two-day session brought together poultry researchers from government, universities and private corporations to discuss priority research areas.

The research council was established in November 2001 by the four poultry supply management agencies and the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council (CPEPC). It aims to fund and expand poultry science education and research, and to disseminate knowledge to the industry.

Report from the Forum on Global Awareness

During our 30^th anniversary year, we issued a key report on the state of global awareness in the poultry and egg industries. The report from the Forum on Global Awareness, published in May, provided clarity and insight into Canada’s place in 21st-century poultry and egg markets. The report capped a major project initiated in 2001 that began with an awareness-building conference in Ottawa, and moved through a series of regional seminars that ended early in 2002.

The objective was to engage industry leaders in a dialogue on global trends and strategies. Through presentations and dialogue with today’s leading thinkers, participants identified a number of threats and opportunities facing their industries. They also spoke of the need for industry leaders to take up the challenge of developing strategies that will enable Canada to flourish within the new global context. The report includes a number of prescriptions and recommendations from participants.

Middle East Workshop

The Middle East Workshop, held in Toronto in February, again underscored the Council’s role in facilitating useful events for industry leaders. With support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Council organized an opportunity for poultry processors, further processors, and other food-manufacturing representatives to learn about the growing halal market. Six Middle Eastern buyers attended the workshop to inform Canadian participants about opportunities in their markets.

Halal products, prepared in conformity with Islamic law, represent an attractive market in the Middle East, as well as in other regions including North America. The worldwide Muslim population of 1.8 billion is growing faster than the halal food supply, creating an excellent opportunity for the Canadian agri-food industry.

Beef Cattle Agency

The Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency, created by government proclamation early in 2002, has been laying the foundation for operations that will help beef producers to expand their markets and increase sales. It established its board of directors, and then prepared to introduce a national check-off to support its operations. The beef cattle agency reviewed levy collection systems in each province as part of its preparations.

The new agency will impose levies on domestic and imported beef in order to fund the promotion of beef products and educate consumers about their quality and nutritional profile. The Agency will also fund primary production research.

Agricultural Policy Framework Consultations

The Council’s close working relationship with the poultry and egg industries enabled it to ensure good stakeholder representation in consultations carried out for the new Agricultural Policy Framework. Developed by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, the framework also strengthened links between the NFPC and its partners in the federal agricultural portfolio. Council staff worked in closer partnership with other federal departments and agencies, a collaboration that improves service to Canadian agriculture and to Canadians.

Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency

The Agency was established in 2002 to increase sales of beef, and to find beef production methods that are better and more efficient.

The agency will finance programs for the industry’s benefit through a national check-off. This levy is anticipated to be equivalent to $1 per head on domestic production and imports of beef cattle, beef and beef products.

The programs are to be operated by the the Beef Information Centre, the Canada Beef Export Federation and the Beef Cattle Research Council to carry out programs on behalf of all producers and importers.

Governance

The Council took steps in 2002 to improve its operations by reviewing its approach to governance. The Council held several discussions on its role, the way in which it carries out its duties, and the role of Council members as advocates for the public interest. It also reviewed stakeholder input, including the views of the national marketing agencies, industry associations and provincial supervisory agencies. The governance discussions concluded with the development of a manual on NFPC governance.

Fact book

To help share the success story of supply management with Canadians, the Council developed and published the inaugural edition of Canada’s Poultry and Egg Industries, a handy reference guide. The guide illustrates the size and scope of the industries and their contribution to every region of the country. Using data from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Statistics Canada, it includes information about the production and consumption of poultry and egg products in Canada over the past decade. The Council published the guide in order to provide, in one place, an essential perspective on a policy that has unquestionably benefited Canadians in all parts of the country.

LOOKING FORWARD

Through the second half of 2002, the NFPC engaged in the renewal of its strategic plan. It looked back to 2000, when the current plan was written, to confirm that the Council has been fulfilling its objectives. It also noted the many developments that have occurred since.

Scan

A number of trends became evident as Council surveyed the current environment. Canadian consumers made clear their preference for a diversity of tasty, nutritious, convenient, high quality poultry and egg products. The food safety issues that have emerged in other countries had also registered with Canadians, who were reassured that this country’s food is safe and of high quality. Meanwhile, the grocery business moved ahead in concentrating higher retail volumes within larger stores, raising concern about the balance of bargaining power between producers and processors on the one hand and with distributors and retailers on the other. The “bio-economy” era dawned brighter, with science and innovation preparing to transform the market landscape. And the diversity of Canadian consumer preferences continued to multiply.

Listening to stakeholders

Poultry and egg industry leaders, meeting at the Forum on Global Awareness, identified the need for their industries to pull together under the guidance of a national strategy. The form of this industry strategy will depend on the leadership of the industry itself. In the Forum, and in other discussions, stakeholders encouraged the Council to pursue its approach to knowledge leadership for the poultry and egg industries. This approach places the Council in the role of a national convenor, whose close relationship with industry leaders enables it to promote efficient, ongoing, regular communication and interaction between all stakeholders.

Industry leaders also encouraged Council to support the further development of promotion and research, possibly by allowing existing agencies to perform new functions, as well as through the establishment of new agencies.

NFPC STRATEGIC PLAN, 2003-2006

Goals: 2003-06

As the NFPC developed its strategic plan, it set out three goals to guide its activities over the next three years, and it prepared an agenda to guide its progress. The three strategic goals are to:

• Ensure that marketing and promotion-research agencies regulated and operating under the Farm Products Agencies Act work in the balanced interest of all stakeholders.
• Improve the strength, competitiveness, market-responsiveness, and profitability of Canadian agriculture and the agri-food industry.
• Realize the efficient, transparent and responsible management of the Council’s operations.

These objectives directly support Council’s legislated mandate. It will continue to monitor FPAA agencies, advise the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and work with federal, provincial and territorial partners to strengthen and promote efficient, competitive Canadian agriculture. In fulfilling its mandate, the Council will also support the implementation of the Agricultural Policy Framework.

2003

In 2003, the Council will perform a number of activities to support the attainment of these objectives.

The NFPC will work with industry to provide a reliable infrastructure that enables industry and government to share information. The quality of information within any 21st-century industry is a key success factor and compelling competitive edge. The NFPC and the poultry and egg industries have recognized a gap in their ability to effectively share information about production, consumption, imports and exports. In 2003, the Council plans to convene discussions with the marketing agencies and stakeholders across the supply chain to develop a common national database available to all industry participants. The goal is to capture and distribute credible, timely information about the marketplace, so that the industries can better meet the increasingly diversified needs of the consumer. This priority initiative has received strong support from the industry leaders consulted in the preparation of the NFPC’s plan.

The Council has also earmarked 2003 as the year to complete the federal-provincial-territorial agreements with the egg, turkey and broiler hatching egg agencies. While the CFC has renewed its agreement, CEMA, CTMA and CBHEMA have been operating under agreements that are more than a decade old. The agencies’ operating principles clearly need to be reviewed and updated, and federal and provincial ministers have directed these agencies to review their agreements. As the foundation of the national supply management system, the agreements must keep pace with the marketplace. Their renewal is a priority for the Council.

The Council will review the Farm Products Agencies Act, and discuss with national agencies and other stakeholders whether the legislation requires updating. Since Parliament passed the legislation in 1972, it has substantially amended the Act only once, in 1993, to enable the creation of promotion and research agencies. The legislative structure that forms the base for the national marketing agencies and their relationship with Council has not been altered in three decades and may need changes to ensure that it fully addresses the needs of the modern marketplace.

The NFPC will also continue to strengthen its relationship with its provincial and territorial counterparts through NAASA. Here the Council will work to promote strong, efficient and competitive production and marketing while ensuring that the interests of Canadian producers and egg and poultry consumers remain at the forefront of their growth and evolution.

Supporting the Agricultural Policy Framework

The Council’s work in 2003 will provide direct support for the implementation of the APF. The supply management system operates to reduce business risk. In completing the remaining federal-provincial-territorial agreements, and in reviewing the Farm Products Agencies Act, the Council will ensure the supply management system fits the realities of the modern marketplace. The Council will aim to provide the poultry and egg industries with the optimal regulatory system while balancing the needs of all stakeholders, including consumers. In the same way, the Council will strengthen the industries’ risk-management capacity through its work with NAASA. Ultimately the industries will benefit from improved regulatory coordination between the federal, provincial and territorial governments who share jurisdiction over agriculture.

The development of a statistical database will support the APF goal of renewal and innovation. A common base of knowledge about production, consumption and international trade developments and trends will allow industry and government to improve their marketplace responsiveness.

Modern comptrollership

Internally, the Council will improve its effectiveness and the integrity of its administration. As a public institution, the Council will ensure that its internal operations meet the standards of accountability and communication that are expected of the modern public service. It will also improve its processes, competencies and systems, in line with the standards of modern comptrollership.

Date modified:  2004-11-17

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