Minister Bibeau co-chairs OECD Agriculture ministers' meeting - Agriculture at the heart of food security

PARIS, Nov. 4, 2022 /CNW/ - Over two days of meetings at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, agriculture ministers and representatives from about 50 countries agreed to redouble their efforts and implement better practices to feed the growing world population, fight climate change, and ensure that farmers and workers can make a successful living from agricultural production.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau and her New Zealand counterpart, the Honourable Damien O'Connor. This role acknowledged the leadership of Canada's producers in sustainable development and ensuring global food security.

Although the challenges faced by the sector are similar around the world, each country adopts different approaches to meet their needs. The meeting allowed the Ministers to discuss best practices, and to reaffirm the importance of collaboration to encourage growth in the sector.

With this in mind, the participating countries asked the OECD, an organization whose mission it is to collect and analyze evidence-based data, to explore actions that would allow a better comparison of how each country is evolving their policies and sustainable development.

To conclude the meeting, Ministers Bibeau and O'Connor released a joint statement noting the productivity of discussions.

Additionally, participating OECD nations established a shared vision and goals for the agricultural sector through a Declaration on Transformative Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems.

At the meeting, Minister Bibeau had several bilateral meetings to deepen relationships with key partners:

• Marc Fesneau, France's Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty;
• Luis Planas, Spain's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Environmental Affairs;
• Atsushi Nonaka, Japan's State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries;
• Mark Spencer, the United Kingdom's Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
• Charlie McConalogue, Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Minister Bibeau reminded her counterparts about Canada's reputation as a trustworthy trading partner and discussed opportunities for enhanced cooperation in the agricultural sector.

Prior to the OECD meeting, Minister Bibeau met with various agricultural stakeholders in Paris, notably:

• A round table with French importers of Canadian agricultural products; two bilateral meetings with French agri-food companies that are making important investments in Canada; and,
• A meeting with the World Organisation for Animal Health DG, Dr. Monique Eloit to discuss global animal health standards in international trade.

Believing firmly that resilient and productive world food systems are essential to the sustainable growth of our economy, the Government of Canada continues to work with international partners and organizations that assemble countries with similar objectives, like the OECD.

Quotes

"Our farmers are committed to feeding the planet while taking care of their land and their animals. These meetings allow us to showcase Canadian leadership, as external factors continue to have a growing impact on production. Canadians and our economy benefit from a strong, sustainable agriculture sector."

-          The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Quick Facts

• The OECD is an international organization that works with governments, policy makers and citizens to establish evidence-based international standards and find solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges.
• The OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers, held every five to six years, brought together more than 50 Ministers of Agriculture from around the world to explore opportunities and discuss solutions to shared challenges in the agriculture and food sector.
• As outlined in the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, putting Canada on a path to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
• Over the past two decades, farmers have roughly doubled the value of production while stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the amount of agricultural emissions per dollar of GDP generated by the sector has dropped by about half.

Additional Links

OECD – Meeting of Agriculture Ministers – Declaration and Co-Chair Summary
OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers 2022
Minister Bibeau named co-chair of international meeting of agricultural ministers 

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

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