E-Delivery

Nevin Rosaasen, APG Policy & Program Specialist POLICY UPDATE NAVIGATING THE TIDES OF CHANGE The last few months have brought des of change to the policy environment in which the pulse world operates. These include proposed changes to tax code, announcement of OH&S changes for farmers in Alberta, and many developments in the interna onal trade arena, including India's recent announcement of a 50% tariff on all imports of yellow peas. As a pulse grower, it seems the rules of engagement are constantly in flux, whether in interna onal markets, registered pes cides, or taxa on and succession planning. It takes a lot of reading, analysis and interpreta on to make sense of how these ever-changing rules will impact your bo om line and may jeopardize the financial sustainability of your own opera on now and into the future. Alberta Pulse Growers has been ac vely engaged with Team Alberta – the four major crop commissions including Alberta Wheat, Barley and Canola – as well as through Grain Growers of Canada, to ensure that the proposed federal tax changes pertaining to income sprinkling, taxing corporate investments and changes to capital gains do not proceed. Analysis was done by two leading accoun ng firms to es mate how these changes would impact farming opera ons across the country. Mul ple submissions, outreach to producers and con nued advocacy are paramount to ensuring that the proposed federal tax changes do not go ahead and that producers can remain compe ve and viable, not to men on sustainable, well into the next genera on. The proposed elimina on of cash cket deferrals announced this spring was recently withdrawn, perhaps because of the strong feedback from yourselves, as well as coordinated advocacy and push back from your commissions, which are charged with best represen ng your interests. Advocacy success is o en difficult to quan fy. Policy analysts and government rela ons staff are o en le guessing how their efforts have been received, if they make headway and whether or not the hard work in building consensus and focusing messaging pays off. On certain topics, it is clear that amplifica on of the common messaging across commodi es and sectors pays dividends. In regard to the Pes cide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and its ongoing re-evalua on and special assessment of chemistries used on your farm, we as a sector s ll have much work to do. The proposed elimina on of Lambda- cyhalothrin (Matador) came as a surprise not only to producers and the registrant, but interna onal regulatory bodies also took no ce of the unfolding events in Canada. The PMRA has been methodically moving through scheduled re-evalua ons at a pace that leaves industry scrambling in order to submit stakeholder posi ons, part of a consulta on process with, at mes, 30 days or less to present how, why and when certain products are used. APG is currently engaged in follow-up to our stakeholder submission regarding the first neonic on the chopping block, imidacloprid. The PMRA has decided to revisit some of the modelling used to es mate risk to aqua c invertebrates and to refine their approach. The expecta on is that they may use a more sensible es ma on when they conduct their risk assessment on Thiamethoxam, the second of three neonics that are being revisited. APG is already working with our provincial and na onal partners to ensure that we educate others on how we use these chemistries through integrated pest management, as well as how we are losing alterna ves, modes of ac on and may be facing increased insect resistance. APG staff are working hard to ensure you retain access to these tools on your farm. Con nued on Page 9 8

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