COVID-19 will have lasting impact on food sector, predicts NDP agriculture critic

The NDP MPP for Timiskaming-Cochrane says the Ontario government should step in to help the agriculture sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Vanthof, who is also the party's deputy leader and agriculture critic, says all sectors have been turned upside down during the pandemic, including agriculture.

He says with some businesses and organizations closed, that has shifted demand within the sector.

"When the restaurants closed, the demand for french fries plummeted," he said. "When the schools closed, the demand for many milk products [has changed. All of sudden the things you were selling, you're not anymore."

Vanthof says meat processing plants are also affected as workers have gotten sick. He says he acknowledges the federal government has put out a financial relief program for farmers. But he says he's hearing mixed reviews.

"If you're a dairy farmer, a beef farmer or you grow asparagus, you have a totally different outlook on the sector and government aid," he said.

Vanthof says what the federal government missed is addressing long-standing issues that are coming to the forefront during the pandemic.

"For a long time, we've had an insurance program to insure against market risk," he said.

"You could buy insurance, and if the market turned upside down at least you'd be able to say to the bank that you could pay off your loan because you have the insurance loan."

He says that the program now has a cap, and farmers don't always get full claims returned.

Vanthof says one way to address the problem could be the province stepping in to help.

"Farmer's prices have turned upside down and yet the provincial government has failed to address that program," he said.

"It's not reinventing the wheel. It's simply lifting the cap. And farmers are getting increasingly frustrated that the government isn't reacting on that one."

Vanthof says he thinks the impact on consumers could be major because the pandemic is happening internationally.

"Before on products if you're having a bad year growing something in Canada, you can import something from Mexico," he said.

"The fact that this is happening all over the world, is going to have a long term impact on the price and availability of some products. And we can't really predict which ones because two months ago, who could have predicted we'd be sitting today two months ago."

He adds it's difficult for farmers who are trying to make decisions today on what to plant during an uncertain time.

"We have an amazing food system," he said.

"Up until the pandemic, in my lifetime, you could go to the store and buy what you wanted, whenever you wanted. That might be impacted by this pandemic."