Honourable senators, I rise today to raise an issue of concern for rural and agricultural communities in Canada.

Canada’s fairs and exhibitions are the backbone of many rural communities. They provide a great opportunity to learn about the hard work of farmers, processors, community members, organizations and entrepreneurs alike, and to celebrate them and the ingenuity of Canadians.

These vital events, however, are under threat again. Newly proposed regulations with regard to livestock traceability requirements expand far beyond a reasonable level and will inevitably challenge farmers, ranchers and the volunteers who work hard to participate in and host fairs and exhibitions across the country.

The proposed policy change from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires farmers to ensure a valid premises identification number as well as to register livestock accordingly.

Now, colleagues, this is not the problem because farmers are happy to follow industry standards and protect their assets with identification and have been doing so for years.

However, the problem is that agricultural societies and the fairs they organize would be burdened with the responsibility of collecting, tagging and reporting animal movement information during their fair dates.

Training and programming for fair and exhibition operators is insufficient, according to key organizations like the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions as well as the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies.

It would require each agricultural society to train volunteers on the process, which would include checking the identification and ear tag on each individual animal and then inputting the data for each farm animal at the fair or event into the responsible administrators’ online database. This is not only an expense that fairs cannot bear but it is also not feasible for the shrinking number of volunteers all organizations are facing these days.

Further, the proposed regulations will apply to any event that involves the listed animals that are held on an agricultural society fairground, not just their fair. If an ag society rents or loans their premises for a 4-H show, calf rally or livestock show, the ag society will be responsible for collecting and reporting the animal movement, as explained above. Losing the opportunities and facilities to host 4-H livestock programs and achievement days could have a significant negative effect on the 4-H program and the youth who participate in 4-H programs in Ontario and across Canada.

As you know, colleagues, 4-H is near and dear to my heart, and I would not be here today if it were not for that program.

Honourable senators, it is important to note that farmers are not opposed to these measures.

The concern lies with the extensive burden this would place on fair volunteers, already strained by labour shortages and regulatory hurdles.

I hope the Canadian government will fix the problem that may unintentionally cause an end to many fairs and exhibitions, and I hope that we can find a way to fix this. Thank you, meegwetch.