In reaction to the federal government announcing $252 million aid for farming, agri-food industry, Greenpeace Canada Head of Nature and Food Campaign Shane Moffatt said:

“Food is essential to our health and survival, yet this pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in our food system and supply chains that demand attention and action. By investing in a resilient, local and ecological food system, the Federal government can help communities get through the current crisis, improve long term food security, promote public health, address climate change and protect wildlife. 

However, the industrial model of food production, which depends on intensive fossil fuels, pesticide use and other inputs, depletes our natural resources through water pollution, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss, while relying on long supply chains which are vulnerable to disruption from unanticipated events like COVID-19. Industrial livestock production, in particular, demands an enormous amount of resources and is responsible for widespread pollution of air, land, and water. It’s also a significant contributor to climate disruption. This means that we should not be subsidising or investing in industrial livestock.”

According to Greenpeace Canada, the federal government should be:

  • Ensuring small and medium-size farmers continue producing food and keep their farms operational. Keeping our farmers markets open as an essential service;
  • Supporting Indigenous food producers and the application of essential Indigenous knowledge through Canada’s food system;
  • Directing recovery funds at long-term security for small farmers and investing in a just and equitable transition to regenerative organic farming that supports the health and economic security of farm workers and rural communities and protects and restores the environment. This should include financial incentives and technical assistance to facilitate this transition to expand ecological, plant-based agriculture.
  • Funding municipalities across Canada pursuing local food resilience initiatives, in particular growing (e.g. urban agriculture, permaculture, food forests) and accessing locally produced food.
  • Ending food waste. More than half of all food produced in Canada is wasted. In order to reduce associated environmental impacts and support hunger relief, require the grocery sector to report on its food waste reduction efforts across the supply chain and remove barriers to food donations.

For more information, please contact: 

Marie-Christine Fiset, Head of Media, Greenpeace Canada[email protected]; +1 514 972-6316