Ministers discussed a number of key issues from the recent disruptions at the Port of Vancouver, to the Clean Fuel Regulations and honey bee health.

A key issue of discussion at the table was the extreme weather situations currently impacting producers including drought and wildfires with Ministers agreeing that innovation, scientific research and development, and collaboration play key roles in continuing to increase productivity and economic growth while protecting the environment.

Ministers agreed to work together to share data in order to complete the AgriRecovery assessments that came in from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

They also committed to ensuring producers have access to a full suite of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs that are timely and reliable and agreed to the implementation of an optional new model.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says by working together, we can continue to overcome the challenges facing the agriculture and agri-food sector and seize the opportunities for growth.

"Underscored by the launch of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, our ambitious vision for the future of the sector will ensure that producers, ranchers, and processors have the tools they need to manage risk, grow their production, productivity, and profitability while remaining good stewards of the land. This vision is also at the heart of the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, being developed in collaboration with industry.”  

There were some key discussions around animal health and welfare, disease, and prevention from planning for African Swine Fever to agreement around the implementation of the Foot and Mouth disease vaccine bank.

The country's agriculture ministers also focused on the need for effective tools to manage weeds, pests and plant diseases and agreed that science and evidence-based decision-making on regulating crop protection products is paramount. 

Following the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) presentation, Ministers agreed to create an FPT working group focusing on the challenges of pesticide management.

There was discussion around the need to improve supply chain resiliency and received an update from the industry on the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct consultations held in May 2023. They discussed the steps taken by industry towards the implementation of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct by year’s end and were briefed on the plan to establish an office that will provide training, education, dispute resolution services, and oversight, as the grocery sector works on improving its transparency. 

Trade was also discussed from the success of the interprovincial trade project at Lloydminster, to the opening of the Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office in the Philippines.