Supporting farmers in Canada for food security

The Honourable Heath MacDonald, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, outlines the Government of Canada’s support for farmers, including the introduction of the first National Food Security Strategy

The world is changing rapidly. Trade shifts, global conflicts, and climate change are all putting growing pressure on our food systems and driving up prices around the globe. Canada’s world-class farmers and food processors work hard every day to deliver high-quality, affordable food to consumers at home and abroad. At the same time, our food system is highly integrated with international supply chains and markets, and Canadian families continue to face higher food prices than they should.

The Government of Canada has taken immediate action to help Canadians access nutritious food at affordable prices. We increased our existing support for those who need it most, and we are helping food producers and processors weather supply chain disruptions without passing the costs on to consumers.

Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy

To go beyond this immediate help and address the root causes of rising food costs, on June 11, 2026, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney launched our first-ever National Food Security Strategy (NFSS). It is powered by $3.2 billion in investments over 10 years to provide key support measures for Canadian families, farmers, independent grocers, and food and beverage processors. It will strengthen Canada’s food selfsufficiency and improve access to affordable, nutritious food for all. It will improve the way food is grown, moved, and sold across Canada, to create more efficient supply chains and remove unnecessary costs.

During public consultations, farmers in Canada repeatedly identified concerns about consolidation, with concentration in markets for fertilizer, agricultural retail, seeds, and chemicals seen as having the biggest negative impact. To address this issue and strengthen the enforcement capacity of the Competition Bureau and Competition Tribunal, the Strategy will increase the Bureau’s capacity, improving its ability to carry out enforcement, tackle more issues that come to the Bureau’s attention, and ultimately help bring down consumer costs.

To improve year-round food production and provide fresh food to our Northern regions, the NFSS is also investing in controlled-environment agriculture. These investments will help build new installations and modernize existing ones to produce more food and reduce labour and energy costs in controlled-environment agriculture production.

Beyond the National Food Security Strategy

Beyond the NFSS, the Government of Canada continues to prioritize producers and the essential roles they play in our economy. Canada’s current five-year agricultural policy framework, the $3.5-billion Sustainable CAP, continues to support producers through 2028. Through shared federal, provincial and territorial investments, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) helps anticipate and manage risks, advance science and innovation, support sustainable growth, and address the impacts of climate change. Building on this foundation, governments are now working with industry partners and stakeholders to develop the Next Policy Framework (2028-2033), guided by the vision and priorities set out in the Halifax Statement. Together, these efforts will help ensure Canadian farmers and ranchers remain competitive, resilient and well-positioned to provide high-quality food to consumers in Canada and around the world for years to come.

During a recent meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting our vital agriculture and agri-food sector. In Canada, agricultural policy is developed and delivered collaboratively by FPT governments to ensure programs and investments respond to regional needs while advancing shared national priorities. As the current five-year Sustainable CAP draws to a close in 2028,ministers issued the Halifax Statement, which outlines the shared vision, guiding principles, and key priorities that will shape the Next Policy Framework (2028-2033).

The Halifax Statement recognizes the importance of FPT governments working together to support economic growth and competitiveness while respecting the diverse business models that contribute to a dynamic and resilient agriculture and agri-food sector. It also emphasizes market diversification, expanded trade opportunities, stronger sector resilience, and continued leadership in science, research and innovation. The shared vision underscores a collective commitment to strengthening food security, keeping supply chains open and resilient, and supporting a predictable, rules-based trading system.

This is also why, in today’s global context, partnerships with key trading partners are more important than ever. We are all facing the increasing pressures of food affordability, supply chain resilience, and input costs, which directly affect consumers and producers. Working together to keep agri-food trade open, predictable, and efficient is essential to ensuring that food remains accessible and affordable for our citizens. This means remaining committed to rules-based international trade and a predictable, stable trading system.

Supporting farmers for food security in the future

Canada is recognized around the world for having a strong, science-based food regulatory system. It is a key contribution to our safe food supply here at home and makes us a trusted partner in foreign markets. The Government of Canada amended our regulations to include consideration of food security and food costs, without compromising health and safety.

For Canadian producers and processors, the delays and inefficiencies within the system can drive up costs, limit the ability to expand, and implicate food security and consumer prices. That is why we will also provide the necessary resources to eliminate backlogs and speed up approvals for seed, feed, fertilizers, and veterinary biologics – giving our producers access to the latest generation of tools and inputs developed both in Canada and abroad. This new generation of inputs are developed to increase yields while lowering the environmental impacts of food production.

Our regulatory agencies will work with other trusted jurisdictions to share scientific evidence to support the expedited registration of critical farm inputs, enabling Canada to benefit from product approvals in other countries. This work will result in tangible benefits for producers by, for example, accelerating vaccine approvals for the livestock sector (e.g., cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry) and by making probiotics for poultry available in Europe but not yet approved in Canada.

This will give growers and livestock producers access to more, and potentially lower-cost, inputs, increasing the competitiveness of Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sectors. This will benefit consumers by increasing food supply stability and making our food production more cost-effective.

Taken together, these measures reflect Canada’s commitment to building a stronger, more resilient and more affordable food system for the future. By supporting our farmers and food processors, strengthening competition, investing in innovation and year-round production, modernizing regulations, and working closely with provincial, territorial and international partners, Canada is addressing both the immediate pressures facing consumers and the long-term challenges confronting our food system. These efforts will ensure that Canadian families continue to have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food, while enabling our producers to remain competitive, sustainable and well-positioned to meet growing demand at home and around the world.