Farmscape for November 27, 2025

In response to increased trade pressure on Canadian grains and oilseeds, Agri-Food Economic Systems is calling for the development of a national oilseed strategy.
In March, in response to Canadian tariffs imposed in October 2024 on Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum, China imposed a 100 percent tariff on Canadian peas, canola oil and oil cakes and a 25 percent tariff on Canadian pork, fish, and seafood.
An Independent Agri-Food Policy Note and accompanying Policy Concepts Paper, released by Agri-Food Economic Systems, looks at the pressures facing Canadian oilseeds and calls for the development of a Canadian oilseed strategy.
Research Lead Dr. Al Mussell observes generally in the world food is scarce but we have a farm economy that is suffering.

Quote-Dr. Al Mussell-Agri-Food Economic Systems:
One of the things that we've tried to sort out in our work is, how on earth can this be where we've got a hungry world where people are particularly craving protein but also craving cereals, oils and so on an yet we've got these low prices that we're dealing with?
As our rules-based trade environment has degraded, and as a trading nation it's something that we count on very much.
We don't have the economic weight or the geopolitical strength that the United States or China does.
A lot of your listeners are involved in swine and maybe also cattle feeding and other animal enterprises.
The feed is relatively inexpensive but the problem is, this is an ongoing cycle.
If you go through a prolonged period in which grains and oilseeds are cheap and it weighs in on the profitability of those producers, eventually you'll see a cutback in production and when that happens feed will get expensive again and then it transfers back over to malaise on the livestock side.
We try to manage an environment where everybody can be somewhat profitable on an ongoing basis.

Dr. Mussell says, at the end of the day, reduced demand due to tariffs goes right back to the farm in the form of lower farm prices.
To access the Independent Agri-Food Policy Note visit agrifoodecon.ca.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers