The Canadian Produce Marketing Association, in collaboration with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and other Canadian business leaders and organizations, have signed an open letter calling on elected officials at all levels of government to end the ongoing blockades.
Citing a multitude of challenges faced by the fresh produce industry over the past two years, the joint letter indicated that the additional obstacle of ongoing blockades is impacting the “livelihoods and well-being of all Canadians.” Challenges noted in the letter included COVID-19, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, weather-related disasters and increasing inflationary pressure.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our industry has faced challenges that have transformed how we do business,” CPMA President Ron Lemaire said in a release. “In addition to the supply chain disruptions that we are dealing with, the current blockades at our borders are not only making shipping of perishable produce extremely difficult, but are also impacting the Canadian economy and Canadians’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Manufacturers in perishable industries that rely on just-in-time delivery have been particularly hard hit, said CPMA, pointing to delayed shipments of livestock and fresh produce that it says could lead to food waste and insecurity.
“The harm is both immediate and severe. Each hour that these blockades continue does more serious damage to our economy and to our society,” the letter said.
In related news, The Packer recently sat down with Joe Sbrocchi, executive director and general manager of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, to discuss the impact of supply chain issues and policy decisions on both sides of the border that could exacerbate an already stressed system for Canadian greenhouse growers.
This isn’t a question of politics, said Sbrocchi, who, on behalf of the OGVG, wants to see Canada and the U.S. come to a resolution. “It’s a question of maintaining nutritious, high-quality and affordable food — relative to everything else on retail shelves — for Canadians and Americans,” he said.
“The reality is that the original grand idea of [the North American Free Trade Agreement] really created a very fluid movement amongst free countries within a population of approximately 500 million people,” Sbrocchi said. “So it created one of the strongest trading blocks in the world, if not the strongest. I would say that fresh produce moving across the three countries was one of those things that bore a lot of fruit — no pun intended.”
Against that backdrop, Sbrocchi noted that additional supply chain issues are particularly difficult at this time of year, when Canada is more reliant on produce imports from the U.S. and Mexico. “Eventually product finds its way onto the shelf, but it’s at what cost and in what state,” he said.
CPMA said it will continue to work with industry partners and the government to highlight the consequences of these supply chain disruptions.
Based in Ottawa, Ontario, CPMA is a nonprofit organization that represents a diverse membership across the produce industry supply chain. Canadian Produce Marketing Association members are responsible for 90% of the fresh fruit and vegetable sales in Canada.
