CAIS AND BSE TOP AGENDA FOR AGRICULTURE MINISTERS MEETING

Saskatchewan will focus on securing improvements to the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) Program and on further planning to address the impact of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) at the upcoming meeting of Canada's agriculture ministers this week.

"The affordability of CAIS remains a key issue for the province," Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman said. "It is all about fairness. Saskatchewan already pays more per capita to support its agriculture sector than any other province. The existing funding formula for CAIS widens that gap. We need a new, national solution that recognizes the affordability issues faced by individual provinces. The meeting will also focus on improving how CAIS works for farmers, which would include replacing the CAIS deposit."

"On the BSE situation, the recent confirmation of a case in the United States, and the pending court cases on live animals and boxed beef exports, are bound to impact how we move forward with our livestock industry," Wartman said.

At the end of the meeting, Wartman expects the ministers to better understand options for responding to the decisions of the U.S. courts once they become known.

"We are cautiously optimistic that science will prevail, and we will see the U.S. border open to live animals in the near future," Wartman said.

Ministers will also receive an update on World Trade Organization negotiations, hear what Parliamentary Secretary Wayne Easter learned on his cross-Canada consultations with producers, and discuss issues related to food policy, animal health, traceability and branding Canadian agri-food products.

The meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture starts today and runs through to July 8th in Kananaskis, Alberta.

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For More Information, Contact:

Trish Alcorn Agriculture and Food Regina Phone: (306) 787-5389