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Canada Will Need 30,000 Immigrants To Fill Retiring Farmers
https://immigrationnewscanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Canada-flag-in-farms.jpg Last Updated On 20 April 2023, 9:48 AM EDT (Toronto Time)
Approximately 40 percent farmers in Canada are expected to retire within the next 10 years, with 66 percent of them not having a succession plan.
To address the farmer shortage is to update Canada’s immigration programs to allow for 30,000 farm-focused new immigrants.
At the same time, the agriculture industry is expected to see a reduction of 24,000 workers who are engaged in farming, nursery, and greenhouse activities.
This would result in a major farmer shortage in Canada.
The new RBC report suggests creating a federal process for experienced temporary foreign workers to obtain permanent residency status.
However, the report indicates that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program only “scratches the surface of the labor shortage”.
“We’re also talking about radically new forms of agriculture like the explosion of the greenhouse industry … and the emergence of the vertical farming sector,” said Evan Fraser, co-author of the report and director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, where he is a professor of geography. Table of ContentsImmigration pilot program for agriculture sector set to expire in MayIn 2020, a pilot program was launched in Canada to provide a pathway to permanent residency for experienced non-seasonal agricultural workers.
The program was aimed at accommodating up to 2,750 individuals, but it will come to an end in May of this year.
According to the government, over 1,500 individuals have already been admitted to the program as of February 2023. Canada Agri-Food Pilot Program – All You Need to Know!
The government is presently assessing the program and the potential for extending it beyond its expiration date.
However, a spokesperson from the department stated that granting permanent residency to migrants was not the answer to the labor shortage.
In addition, the spokesperson emphasized that newcomers would only remain in the industry if it offered competitive wages, good working conditions, and long-term prospects for them and their families.
The report also proposes that Canada seek out farmers from countries like the Netherlands and New Zealand who may be compelled to downsize or shut down if they do not satisfy stringent climate change regulations governing emissions. Cause of the farmer shortageLack of proper succession planLorne and Chris Hamblin, farmers from Morris, have 4,000 acres of farmland near Winnipeg, and they are worried about the future of farming due to the lack of proper succession planning.
Chris believes that farmers should start thinking about this as early as their 30s and 40s and not wait until their 60s or 70s to figure out how to pass on their farm to the next generation.
He emphasizes the need for the agriculture industry to change with the changing times.
Lorne adds that there are many jobs in the farming industry, and food safety is the top priority, which makes it a positive field to work in. Big business Keith Currie, the head of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, emphasizes the importance of attracting younger people to the agricultural sector and educating them about the diverse career opportunities it offers, ranging from advisory and financial services to various scientific fields such as crop and livestock genetics, soil science, equipment design, software development, and veterinary science.
The report recommends that Canada must welcome more than 30,000 permanent immigrants by 2033 to take over existing farms to avoid a labor shortage.
This is a critical issue that requires urgent attention, according to Fraser, who authored the report. Effects of farmer shortageThe predicted labor crisis could cause C[...]
