Agriculture Position Statement

2025 - Volume 2

Rural Alberta is home to a large agriculture industry that has supported Alberta’s economy for generations. There is a broad range in the types and size of farming operations in Alberta, from small family operations to large scale facilities. This results in a diverse industry with different regulatory and operating challenges, which can also be impacted significantly by global market influences as well as unpredictable weather and climate fluctuations.

What is the RMA’s position on the importance of having a municipal perspective in the agriculture industry?

Agriculture is a vital industry in Alberta and supports the sustainability of our rural communities.
Rural municipalities are stewards of the land and understand the importance and value in sustaining agricultural land.
As the voice for rural Alberta, the RMA advocates to protect and promote the agriculture industry to grow and diversify Alberta’s economy.
Due to its unique nature, regulatory changes may have unintended consequences on the agriculture industry. As such, it is critical that the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada thoroughly consult with agriculture stakeholders and producers prior to making changes that may impact their operations.

What financial considerations do rural municipalities have with respect to the agriculture industry?

The agriculture industry requires consistent support to promote industry sustainability and enable value-added options that will contribute to a diversified local and provincial economy.
Agricultural income is vulnerable to extreme market fluctuations and natural disasters. Federal and provincial programs that provide assistance for producers should be designed to support the industry and address the diversity of conditions experienced.
The RMA appreciates federal and provincial support through programs, such as the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP), that reflect the important economic role of agriculture by promoting innovation and enabling the use of new technologies.
The RMA supports programs that encourage next-generation entrants into the agriculture industry.
In some areas of Alberta, intensive agriculture operations cause significant strain on municipal road and bridge infrastructure. It is important that rural municipalities have the autonomy to address this in a way that holds responsible producers accountable for infrastructure impacts and does not compromise the sustainability of the agriculture industry.
Agricultural societies and agriculture service boards are important community supports for the agriculture sector and rural communities more broadly. Funding for these organizations must be sustainable and predictable.

What does the RMA believe is needed to continue to support the sustainability of the agriculture industry?

Agriculture and food production support Alberta’s economy and contributes to the availability of quality food within Alberta and across Canada. A positive and collaborative relationship between the provincial government, federal government, producer groups, and producers is needed to support a sustainable agriculture industry.
The viability of the agriculture industry and its ability to compete on the global market is supported through the incorporation of innovative technologies and educational advancements.
Provincial and federal policies must adapt to changing industry conditions to allow for innovative agricultural practices to take advantage of emerging markets.
Extension services for agricultural producers are a vital resource for rural Alberta.
The RMA supports the advancements being made in the value-added sector for agricultural products.
The RMA supports the creation of agricultural trusts that would protect land for agricultural production and recognize the donor in a manner similar to eco-trusts.
Agriculture serves an important role in carbon sequestration. The agricultural sector has a unique ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, store or sequester carbon in soils, and increase the resilience of soils to a changing climate.
Carbon levies and climate change reduction goals should allow for exemptions for the agricultural sector to account for the critical role they play in contributing to Canada’s food security.
The RMA supports stable, continuous, and sustainable operational funding for Applied Research Associations (ARAs), as these associations provide unbiased, regionally focused research and extension services that foster innovation, resilience, and global competitiveness within Alberta’s agriculture industry.

What current agriculture-related issues are impacting rural Alberta?

Preservation of Agricultural Land

Balancing industrial development and agricultural land protection is important to encourage both economic growth and the sustainability of rural landscapes and the agriculture industry.
Competing demands for land-use in a growing province have impacts on the agriculture industry. Urban sprawl, and the conversion of agricultural lands into large-scale residential developments threaten high quality agricultural land; stronger land-use planning practices are needed to promote urban infill and consider the preservation of valuable agricultural lands.
Approvals for projects such as solar developments and residential subdivisions located on agricultural land should consider the productivity and climate change adaptation costs of taking food-producing land out of service.
RMA is supportive of recent regulatory changes that protect high quality agricultural land from development for renewable energy projects.

Agricultural Plastics

Growth and change in the agriculture industry has led to greater use of agricultural plastics by producers to help manage their storage, improve efficiencies and improve cost-effectiveness.
The lack of comprehensive end-of-life management of agricultural plastics continues to have adverse impacts on the environment and human health.
The RMA participates in the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG). The APRG has brought together stakeholder and government representatives to develop an end-of-life management solution for agricultural plastics.

Agriculture Disaster Declarations

In collaboration with the Government of Alberta and the Agriculture and Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), the RMA developed A Guide for Declaring Municipal Agricultural Disasters in Alberta to guide the municipal decision-making process. Supported by data, these declarations can help to inform governments, industry and residents regarding developing situations.
The declaration of an agriculture disaster should trigger additional support for farmers from the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada.

Agri-Recovery and Agri-Stability

Agri-recovery provides financial support to Alberta farmers and ranchers for agricultural production losses caused by weather conditions.
Agri-recovery determines eligibility based on municipal boundaries. RMA members are geographically large, and agricultural conditions at one end of the municipality are not necessarily consistent across the municipality. The RMA is concerned that agri-recovery is being applied at a scale that does not account for the potentially large difference in agricultural conditions across a municipality.
Currently, Agri-recovery covers disaster events such as disease, pest infestation, extreme weather, and contamination of the natural environment, but is limited in scope. RMA supports updates to Agri-recovery that expand its eligibility requirements to include more types of disasters.
RMA supports changes to align Agri-Stability with tax filing for 2025 and future years to reduce paperwork for farmers. Doing so will ease the burden of applying for support following a year of reduced farm production and associated income.

Market Access

Ensuring Alberta’s agriculture products have access to international markets is essential for continued value and growth of the agriculture industry. The RMA strives to work collaboratively with Alberta’s commodity organizations to support advocacy to various levels of government to support market access for the agriculture sector.
The RMA is concerned about federal legislation that would limit the export of livestock or any agricultural product.

Land Use

The Natural Resource Conservation Board approval process must consistently consider municipal input related to land use impacts, environmental impacts, infrastructure impacts, emergency response impacts, and other considerations when reviewing approval applications for confined feeding operations.
The sterilization of large tracts of agricultural lands can have significant impacts on the ability of agriculture producers to maximize the full potential of Alberta’s agriculture resources (e.g. caribou protection areas).

Weeds on Wellsites

The spread of noxious and prohibited noxious weeds from industrial sites to agricultural land is a significant concern for municipalities and farmers.
Municipalities are responsible for enforcing the Weed Control Act and are tasked with ensuring landowners and leaseholders comply with the Act. This includes inspecting properties and issuing weed control notices.
The RMA continues to work with the Government of Alberta on the Weeds on Wellsites Working Group to explore solutions to ensure weeds on oil and gas well sites are controlled to avoid their spread to agricultural land.