Vision Green Archives | Elizabeth May https://elizabethmaymp.ca/tag/vision-green/ MP for Saanich and Gulf Islands Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:02:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://elizabethmaymp.ca/wp-content/uploads/cropped-elizabethmay-button-32x32.png Vision Green Archives | Elizabeth May https://elizabethmaymp.ca/tag/vision-green/ 32 32 National Food Policy Vision: to Improve Food Safety, Security, and Sovereignty https://elizabethmaymp.ca/national-food-policy-vision-to-improve-food-safety-security-and-sovereignty/ Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:41:32 +0000 http://elizabethmaymp.ca?p=8124 We need a National Agricultural and Food Policy which: Improves Food Safety Amending the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mandate to remove any obligation to promote Canadian agri-business, ensuring…

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]]> We need a National Agricultural and Food Policy which:

Improves Food Safety

  • Amending the Canadian Food Inspection Agency mandate to remove any obligation to promote Canadian agri-business, ensuring the focus is on food safety and food safety only, with enhanced resources for inspection and monitoring.
  • Ensuring the quality and wholesomeness of food by strengthening the monitoring of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, growth hormones, non-therapeutic antibiotics and insecticides in food production, processing and storage, with the goal of an orderly reduction in detectable residues of these substances until they reach undetectable limits.
  • Establishing federally funded, community-guided school lunch programs across Canada to ensure that our children have daily access to healthy local food and can learn about sustainable food production and healthy eating.
  • Strengthening Plant Protection and Health of Animals Programs with measures to ensure the integrity of farm food products.
  • Improving and strengthening the Canadian Organic Standard.
  • Providing transitional assistance for those switching to certified organic farming practices.
  • Ensuring that no animal by-products are used in ruminant animal feed.
  • Introducing testing for BSE.

Provides Food Security

  • Moving towards regional food self-sufficiency across Canada, as we begin the shift to organic agriculture as the dominant model of production.
  • Supporting the “200 kilometer diet” and locally grown food through expansion of farmers’ markets and local culinary tourism activities.
  • Promoting roof top gardens, cultivation of green urban space for agriculture, food production in cities and suburbs, and community gardens.
  • Protecting the right of farmers to save their own seed.
  • Promoting heritage seed banks and seed exchange programs.

Prevents Corporate Control of the Food Supply

  • Reforming agriculture regulations to challenge corporate concentration.
  • Ensuring that farm support payments are farm-based (not production-based) to encourage more farms and more farmers.
  • Encouraging organic farming methods to improve farm profitability and sustainability.

Learn More: http://elizabethmaymp.ca/vision-green/p1.15

 

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