BEEF FARMERS OF ONTARIO ELECTION TOOLKIT FOR PRODUCERS - Ontario's 2022 Provincial Election
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BEEF FARMERS OF ONTARIO
ELECTION TOOLKIT FOR
PRODUCERS
Ontario’s 2022 Provincial Election
PRODUCER CALL TO ACTION
W ith the 2022 Ontario provincial election quickly approaching, we need to build awareness of
the current challenges and opportunities facing the Ontario beef industry. This toolkit
has been put together to assist Ontario’s beef farmers with engaging and participating in
discussions with your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) candidates on industry priorities
prior to the election.
Every conversation between a farmer and their local MPP candidate increases the level of
awareness surrounding the beef and broader agri-food industries and our associated
opportunities and challenges.
Producers are encouraged to take the time to reach out to local MPP candidates through
attendance at all-candidate meetings and/or one-on-one meetings. Additionally, producers can
engage MPP candidates through social media, email, written letters or phone calls. Reaching
out and building a connection with local MPP candidates will provide us a better understanding
of each political party’s plans and commitments for agriculture in the future.
A contact list for MPP candidates in Ontario’s rural ridings is available through the BFO website
and office. To assist in sparking discussion with local MPP candidates, a list of questions and
conversation-starters have been included in this package. There is also a list of tips for
communicating and meeting with candidates.
If you are pressed for time during a discussion with a candidate, consider posing one of the
following priority questions:
1. If elected, will your party take immediate steps to increase funding for the Ontario Risk
Management Program (RMP) to $250 million annually to ensure the program is adequately
resourced and responsive to rapidly changing and increasingly volatile domestic and global
conditions?
2. If elected, will your party support and deliver a provincial beef processing infrastructure fund
for Ontario to assist the beef industry in adding the needed capacity to service domestic and
international markets?
If you speak with an MPP candidate, please contact the BFO office and let us know how it went. We
are keenly interested in the outcomes of your conversations with local candidates during the 2022
provincial election campaign.
For more information, please contact:
Thomas Brandstetter
Manager of Policy and Issues
thomas@ontariobeef.com
705-257-9490 I 519-824-0334 ext. 236
ONTARIO BEEF INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
A griculture is the backbone of our rural communities and is important to the quality of life of all Canadians
and Ontarians. There are approximately 19,000 beef farmers in Ontario, representing 13.7 per cent of
all farms in the province, most of which are multi-generational family-run operations. Beef farms and the
broader beef cattle sector have a presence and economic impact in every county and district in Ontario.
ECONOMY
The beef industry is an important economic driver of Ontario’s agri-food sector. Combining the revenue
from primary production, processing and retail, the beef industry contributes $2.69 billion to Ontario’s GDP
on an annual basis. Gross sales from Ontario beef production, processing and retail exceed $13 billion, with
revenue from farm gate sales reaching $1.4 billion, processing at $3.5 billion and retail surpassing $9 billion.
The income derived from the beef industry helps support a broad range of rural infrastructure such as
hospitals, schools and community centres.
EMPLOYMENT
Ontario’s beef industry is vitally important to the well-being and growth of families, businesses and
communities, both rural and urban. As a significant job creator, Ontario’s beef industry is responsible for
9,500 jobs in primary production, 9,000 jobs in processing and 43,900 jobs in retail. In total, Ontario’s
beef industry sustains more than 61,000 jobs. Beef farms provide a wide variety of jobs between on-farm
(equipment operation, breeding and feeding) and off-farm (farm machinery sales, grocer sales, meat
packaging and processing, and transportation).
ENVIRONMENT
As long-term partners with the environment, more than 70 per cent of Ontario farmers have taken an
environmental course, evaluated their farm’s environmental footprint, and made improvements to protect
soil, water and ecosystems. In addition, grasslands used in beef production help store approximately 1.5
billion tonnes of carbon in Canada. We’re proud to say that due to improved production practices, producing
1 kilogram of beef in Canada today emits 15 per cent fewer greenhouse gases than it did in 1981. The
Ontario beef sector maintains one of the lowest GHG footprints of all beef production systems in the world –
less than half of the global average.
PRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND
1. COMMIT TO INCREASE THE CAP ON THE ONTARIO RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
(RMP) BY $100 MILLION.
Beef farmers now face an unprecedented level of uncertainty, and risks beyond their control due to
increased costs of production, government red tape, trade uncertainty, and a level of sustained market
volatility we have never experienced. These risks are particularly acute for younger and less established
farmers that have limited ability to mitigate severe fluctuations in the market. The best remedy
for these risks, which will sustain Ontario’s beef capacity and promote new economic
output, is to increase Ontario’s investment in the Risk Management Program (RMP).
RMP fills a critical gap for livestock commodities in Ontario that are not protected
by the supply management system or have access to other effective farm support
programs like crop insurance. RMP is a cost-shared insurance program designed
to help stabilize the industry by providing partial financial protection for Ontario
farmers against global downturns in commodity market prices by providing
assistance when market prices fall below a participating producer’s support
level.
RMP is a made-in-Ontario solution that addresses shortcomings in the national
programs. It was designed and developed with direct input from Ontario farmers
in partnership with the provincial government. The Ford Government took a
critical step forward in 2020 by honouring their 2018 campaign commitment to
increase the funding cap for RMP by $50 million. This commitment demonstrates the
government’s acknowledgment of the vital importance of this program to Ontario farmers
and the Ontario economy, and recognizes the chronic underfunding this program experienced
under the previous government.
Recommendations:
When the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Coalition (OASC) first approached political parties in advance of
the 2018 campaign, we brought forward an ask that would see an increase to the RMP cap of $150 million
to make it appropriately funded for the foreseeable future. Funding the program at $250 million annually
would help ensure the program is adequately resourced and responsive to rapidly changing and increasingly
volatile domestic and global conditions. This will help us weather the pandemic and post-pandemic storm
that has crippled our supply chains and increased production costs and market risks.
The reality of the RMP program is that every year, each sector is impacted differently based on market
conditions. For example, uncapped claims for livestock, grains and oilseeds, and edible horticulture has
averaged $243 million since 2013. In the two pandemic years (2020 & 2021), uncapped claims for all sectors
averaged $303 million, well above the $150 million-dollar annual program cap.
PRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND
While certain sectors can have stronger years than others, the program remains critically underfunded to
protect and support all sectors.
A 2015 study by Cummings and Associates found that every $1 dollar invested into the RMP results in
$2.24 in positive economic activity. In addition, the study found that 62 per cent of participating producers
indicated the program had a positive effect on their decision to hire and/or maintain employees.
Adequate funding will allow farmers to better manage risk and focus on greater innovation, their farms’
sustainability, farm job creation, and new market growth opportunities. Increased investment will also help
support young farmers, and those seeking to expand production. Market volatility and financial uncertainty
are one of the leading causes of mental health challenges, stress and anxiety for farmers.
2. COMMIT TO INCREASE INVESTMENT IN PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT MEAT
PROCESSING CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE TRAINING, RECRUITMENT,
AND RETENTION OF MEAT CUTTERS AND INDUSTRIAL BUTCHERS.
In Eastern Canada, federal beef processing plant utilization has increased from 85 per cent in 2016 to 100
per cent in 2021, while provincially inspected slaughter volumes have averaged 20 per cent above the five-
year average, resulting in limited processing availability for farmers and an uncompetitive market. Many
processing plants are operating at or above capacity for significant portions of the year due to increased beef
demand, production, and changes in the dairy sector.
Since the beginning of the pandemic this problem has intensified, resulting in depressed prices for beef
producers, and long wait times to get animals processed, particularly at the provincial level.
Recommendations:
A. Increase strategic investment in the sector
• Simplifying programming and ensuring a sufficient funding window to allow businesses the ability
to plan, build and execute growth strategies.
• Prioritizing funding on projects with the greatest ability to expand production capacity.
• A combination of cost-share funding, no-interest, and non-repayable loans to spur capital
investments in production and improve efficiencies.
• Finally, the development of an Industry Export Development Fund which, would assist in export
diversification efforts and help address international trade barriers.
B. Address labour shortages and skills training gaps
• Develop and implement a domestic strategy to attract, train and retain high skill workers by
providing investments and supports in training and education.
• Refocus foreign worker programs into permanent worker programs.
• Develop and implement a strategy that would create a pathway to allow workers from countries
with an ample supply of labour to come here and vacant fill jobs.
PRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND
C. Revise slaughter regulations related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), including
harmonization of Canada’s specified risk material (SRM) removal policies with the United States, so
that they do not weaken the competitiveness of the Canadian beef industry.
D. Invest in trade infrastructure, such as transportation systems, to improve access to markets and
support a modern supply chain.
E. Modernize regulations and implement targeted programs, in collaboration with the provinces and
territories, to encourage the development of local processing businesses and regional small-scale
abattoirs.
F. Consider food insecurity a priority, looking more precisely to northern and Indigenous issues, and take
the necessary measures to support Canadians in need.
G. In collaboration with the provinces and territories, seek further harmony between federal and
provincial processing standards, so as to reduce barriers to inter-provincial and international trade,
and encourage innovation through a focus on outcomes rather than prescriptive measures.
H. Support innovative approaches to skills development and encourage training and reskilling programs
to meet the current and future labour requirements of agri-food businesses, and also help to
promote and to raise awareness of career opportunities in the agri-food sector with a focus on future
generations, while respecting agreements signed with provincial and territorial governments and their
jurisdiction.
3. COMMIT TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES & RESOURCES FOR
FARMERS AND AGRI-FOOD WORKERS.
The well-being of Ontario’s beef farmers is a critically important issue. While
many factors can contribute to the large number of farmers experiencing high
levels of stress, anxiety and depression, there are several commonalities
across sectors, operation types and jurisdictions that are fueling this
problem.
For beef farmers, increasing revenue uncertainty driven by higher
costs, slimmer margins and more volatile markets is putting increased
pressure on farmers to make ends meet. An aging producer population,
with an average age over 55, is also creating challenges for many
farmers to manage workloads. For many farmers facing these challenges,
retirement, liquidation or downsizing are not perceived as viable options.
The effects of mental health extend beyond individual farmers and their
families. High levels of stress, anxiety and depression also have major impacts
on the welfare of animals under farmers’ care. BFO Animal Care Advisors, who are
charged with responding to animal care complaint calls on beef farms in Ontario, have
reported an increase in the number of cases involving older farmers
PRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND
unable or struggling to properly manage farm workloads, which can often result in lapses in animal care
standards. Revenue uncertainty and market volatility can also incentivize corner-cutting and reduced farm
investment, all of which can deteriorate one’s mental health and put farmers at increased risk of self-harm,
notwithstanding the obvious economic consequences.
There is a clear link between mental health and financial security: those who are more financially secure
have better mental health outcomes. In the beef industry, profitability varies considerably by sector and
operation type, and safety net programs designed to protect beef farmers against severe fluctuations in
market prices have been steadily reduced over the last several years. This leaves farmers much more exposed
to financial downturns. It is no surprise that the increase in mental health issues among the farm community
has mirrored the decrease in farm supports and the increase in market volatility over the last decade.
Recommendations:
One action the Ontario government can take immediately is to increase funding for the Ontario Risk
Management Program (RMP), which is designed to provide income stabilization to farmers through partial
financial protection against global downturns in commodity market prices.
Secondly, the Ontario government should consider conducting a comprehensive study to analyze structural
and systemic factors contributing to financial insecurity and instability on Ontario farms. This study would
provide meaningful information that could be used to help design new farm safety net, insurance, and other
government support programs aimed at improving farm financial security, which would support improved
farmer mental health and well-being.
Beyond government-supported farm safety net and insurance programs, there are a number of
recommendations that have been made to the federal government by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton from the
University of Guelph, the Do More Agriculture Foundation and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture,
among others. The Ontario government could choose to support the improvement of mental health and
well-being in the Ontario farming community through actions that include:
A. Support for the creation of a Canadian (Ontario) network for farmer mental health.
B. Funding for more research on farmer mental health.
C. Support for the development of evidence-based training and support programs for the primary
agriculture sector.
Farmer mental health is an important issue that has the potential to seriously affect rural families and
communities, animal welfare, farm economics, and the broader health of the province if left unchecked. In
BFO’s view, the Ontario government must help drive the creation and expansion of mental health resources,
services and supports that are tailored to farmers and the agricultural community and made available
across rural Ontario. Of equal importance is the need to take immediate action to help address the financial
instability and insecurity many farmers face across the province as a result of regulatory burdens and
insufficient business risk management programming.
PRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND
4. COMMIT TO PRESERVE FARMLAND THROUGH SOUND PROVINCIAL LAND USE
POLICY THAT SEES AGRICULTURAL LANDS, INCLUDING MARGINAL LANDS USED FOR
LIVESTOCK GRAZING AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION, PROTECTED AS THE HIGHEST
AND BEST USE OF OUR PROVINCE’S ARABLE LAND.
Stewardship of natural resources is imperative to the success of beef farmers. Canada’s beef industry is the
single largest Canadian protector of grasslands, pastures, and hayfields which sequester carbon, and provide
refuge for insects, pollinators, and many species at risk all the while providing feed and grazing space that
produces some of the best beef in the world.
Global meat demand is expected to grow, and the global livestock industry needs to meet this demand
while optimizing the use of limited natural resources. The ongoing work of the Canadian Roundtable
for Sustainable Beef and the ambitious beef industry goal setting initiative demonstrates our sector’s
commitment to sustainable production.
Canada’s beef industry has recently set very significant and ambitious environmental goals including:
• safeguarding the existing 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon stored on lands managed with beef cattle
• sequestering an additional 3.4 million tonnes of carbon every year
• reducing primary production GHG emission intensity by 33 per cent by 2030
• reducing food loss and waste (from secondary processing to consumer) by 50 per cent by 2030
Achieving industry and governmental environmental goals cannot be done if Ontario continues to allow its
finite agricultural land base to be lost to other uses. Maintaining and protecting our agricultural land base
in Ontario, especially our agricultural grasslands, will be critical for mitigating climate change. This is in
addition to the critical role our agricultural lands have in producing food for Ontarians and the world, and for
supporting our local and provincial economies.
Census of Agriculture showed from 2006 to 2011 Ontario lost 636,000 acres of farmland, with pastureland
lost at a much higher rate than other farmland. Census data from 2011 to 2016 shows a similar story with
Ontario losing an additional 319,700 acres of farmland or 175 acres/day of farmland. These losses are
unsustainable and, given continued population growth in Ontario and globally, further priority and action
needs to be taken on the protection of farmland.
Ontario’s land use policies have not adequately balanced the province’s development priorities with the
need to protect our agricultural lands, which has resulted in the continued loss of our finite agricultural land
base. Action needs to be taken to ensure land use policies in Ontario do a better job at protecting agricultural
lands from development, as a result of urban sprawl and leapfrogging development. When farmland is lost, it
is lost forever.
PRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND
Beef production, especially through the management of grasslands, provides vital ecological goods and
services that protect and enhance our environment. Farmers should be incentivized to continue to provide
these ecological goods and services, such as sequestering carbon in the soil, providing habitat for species at
risk, oxygen production, water and nutrient cycling, and maintaining and improving soil health. The ability to
provide these ecological goods and services on lands managed with cattle is threatened by competing land
uses.
Recommendations:
To avoid driving further loss we need to make sure Ontario’s current policies better protect our finite
agricultural land and recognize the valuable ecological goods and services provided by beef farmers,
particularly through the management of grasslands. We need to ensure the province’s development goals to
meet our growing population do not come at the expense of our farmers ability to produce food, support the
economy, and mitigate climate change. To do so, BFO recommends the following:
A. Preserve agricultural land by containing urban sprawl while supporting population growth with smart
land use planning policy.
B. Focus residential development within existing urban boundaries, building multi-use communities and
distributing economic development, province wide.
C. Expand the use of and make agricultural impact assessments required province-wide
D. Protect marginal agriculture land that is not classified as prime agricultural land, or CLI Class 1-3
soils, to ensure future capacity for the production of food exists throughout the province and across
commodity sectors. This is particularly important for agricultural uses that utilize marginal lands, such
as beef production, as such land is suitable for pasture use.
E. Create market-based systems to valuate ecological goods and services derived from agricultural
lands, in particular those managed by beef farmers, and establish systems to foster incentives. These
processes can include markets related to carbon storage, GHG reductions, water quality and quantity
improvements, recreation, wetland protection and enhancements, biodiversity enhancements and
more.
5. COMMIT TO CONDUCT A REVIEW WITH THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR OF FARM
INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES EMPLOYED UNDER THE PROVINCIAL
ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES (PAWS) ACT.
The Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 (PAWS Act) came into effect on January 1, 2020, and
replaced the Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1990 (OSPCA Act). The PAWS Act
implements a provincially-funded animal welfare enforcement model, designed to protect animals from
abuse and neglect across the province.
Provincial agriculture, livestock and poultry organizations worked with the government to develop the new
animal protection model. Agricultural and government representatives collaborated together to create thePRIORITY ISSUES AND BACKGROUND PAWS Act, to keep farmers and our entire industry accountable and responsible for the care and protection of animals in Ontario. One of the key recommendations BFO and other livestock organizations made during the consultation process in 2019 was that a review of the PAWS Act take place within the first five years after it comes into force to ensure that it is operating appropriately. Given our experiences with some recent high-profile cases, we feel a review is warranted as we maintain concerns regarding training of inspectors and the decision-making process regarding cattle seizures. Prior to the enactment of the PAWS Act under the Solicitor General’s Office, BFO and groups like Farm and Food Care Ontario would conduct regular training and information sharing sessions with OSPCA inspectors regarding beef and livestock care, husbandry, etc., many of these inspectors transferred over to PAWS inspection when the new Act came into force. BFO is not privy to the training the new PAWS inspectors receive. BFO has offered our services to train inspectors around current beef management practices utilizing The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle and would like to see the training of inspectors enhanced going forward. Recommendations: BFO recommends that there be a review of the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act to ensure that it is operating appropriately. Specifically, there are several areas in the act that can be enhanced including: A. A definition of farm animals. B. Training of inspectors includes specific training on agricultural operations and species to be developed and conducted in collaboration with industry. C. A requirement for statements of accounts to be itemized and reasonable. D. The National Farm Animal Care Council’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle be referenced in Ontario’s legislation and/or regulation.
PRIORITY ISSUE QUESTIONS FOR
MPP CANDIDATES
INCREASE INVESTMENT IN THE ONTARIO RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (RMP)
1. If elected, will your party take immediate steps to increase funding for the Ontario Risk
Management Program (RMP) to $250 million annually to ensure the program is adequately
resourced and responsive to rapidly changing and increasingly volatile domestic and global
conditions?
ADDRESS THE SHORTAGE OF BEEF PROCESSING CAPACITY IN EASTERN CANADA
2. If elected, will your party support and deliver a beef processing infrastructure fund for Ontario
to assist the beef industry in adding the needed capacity to service domestic and international
markets?
3. If elected, what is your party’s plan to address worker shortages in key industries such as the
agri-food sector?
SUPPORT AND PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES & RESOURCES FOR
FARMERS AND AGRI-FOOD WORKERS
4. If elected, what steps will your party take to create and expand mental health resources, services
and supports that are tailored to farmers and the agricultural community and made available
across rural Ontario?
5. If elected, what immediate steps will your party take to help address the financial instability and
insecurity many farmers face across the province?
COMMIT TO PRESERVE FARMLAND THROUGH SOUND PROVINCIAL LAND USE
POLICY
6. If elected, what will your party do to preserve agricultural land and protect marginal agriculture
land to prevent further loss of farmland and pastureland?
7. If elected, what will your party do to recognize the beef sector as a key part of the solution in
fighting climate change, maintaining biodiversity and conserving pasturelands?PRIORITY ISSUE QUESTIONS FOR
MPP CANDIDATES
CONDUCT A REVIEW WITH THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR OF FARM INSPECTION
AND ENFORCEMENT PRACTICES
8. If elected, will your party conduct a review of the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act to
ensure that it is operating appropriately and ensure that training of inspectors include specific
training on agricultural operations and species to be developed and conducted in collaboration
with industry?
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
1. How does your party view research and what is your party’s strategy support and invest in key
sector such as the beef industry?
2. Would your party support investment in a domestic market development fund to help grow and
defend Canadian beef in the domestic market?
3. How does your party plan to support beef research, innovation and access to new technology?
4. How does your party intend to support young farmers and new entrants?TIPS ON COMMUNICATING WITH
ELECTION CANDIDATES
BE AWARE OF TIME. You may only have a few minutes to get your point across.
BE ASSERTIVE. Know what you want in advance and ask for it.
BE DIRECT. State the purpose of your meeting clearly and highlight our industry’s key issues.
BE INFORMATIVE. Refer to information in this toolkit and stick to the facts.
BE POLITICAL. Explain your hometown’s relevance to the beef
industry i.e. how Ontario’s beef industry contributes to the local
economy.
PERSONALIZE YOUR MESSAGE. Relate our industry
priorities to your own story as a beef farmer and support
it with BFO’s speaking points. Your personal story and
how the challenges facing the beef industry affects your
operation will be more highly regarded than speaking
points alone.
BE INQUIRING. Ask your candidate if he/she is familiar
with your issues. Ask for the candidate’s view on the
subject and how he/she will act to address these issues, if
elected.
BE COURTEOUS. Be tolerant of differing views and don’t speak
badly of other politicians or organizations. Keep in mind that there
may be other occasions when BFO will lobby this candidate or MPP,
and a cordial relationship keeps the door open.
BE RESPONSIVE. Try to answer questions. When you can’t, offer to get back to the candidate
with the information. You can always ask BFO for help in getting the necessary information to the
candidate.
BE AVAILABLE. Make sure your candidate knows how to reach you. Feel free to offer to have the
BFO office follow up with additional information.You can also read
