About two dozen resolutions were debated and voted on Wednesday afternoon at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) Annual Convention in Regina.
Some of the notable ones pertained to agriculture.
One had 95 per cent of delegates voting in favour of asking the federal government to reverse its decision to close the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research farms at Scott and Indian Head.
Eric Gray, Division 6 Councillor with the R.M. of Indian Head, notes the AAFC sites in Indian Head and Scott represent a large portion of the province.
"Their environmental and soil type is best represented by those two farms, and those are the two that they decided to axe." Gray said.
Another resolution dealt with proposed cattle traceability changes from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The resolution calls for the proposed changes to be cancelled and "that if a sufficient need to change the current system can be clearly demonstrated to the livestock producers and is supported by industry; then the process to change the Health of Animals Regulations be restarted from the beginning."
"It's an overreach with no additional positive product," said Tim Christianson, Division 2 Councillor with the R.M. of Val Marie. “Having said that, CFIA pushing us, they say, to do better, and yet no checks in place to keep them honest when dealing with producers who have had their herds depopulated for a disease. Fair compensation in a timely manner has not been adhered to. Clean up their own act before imposing ridiculous regulations on the rest of us.”
That resolution passed with 97 per cent voting in favour.
The next resolution wanted the CFIA reform by splitting the agency into two – one still responsible for food safety and remain under Health Canada while the other would be responsible for regulating agriculture under AAFC.
"We need reform within CFIA and I think the quickest way to get that done is getting the livestock portion back under the Minister of Agriculture federally." said Kelly Williamson with the R.M. of Whiska Creek
It passed with 96 per cent voting in favour.
Another resolution called on the provincial government to increase penalties for those violating foreign farmland ownership rules. It also requested the Farmland Security Board to conduct audits on the source of financing for corporations that own or buy farmland in Saskatchewan.
"Bigger parcels of land are changing hands every year. It's vital that the Farm Land Security Board has a strong deterrent to prevent foreign investment in Saskatchewan farmland." said Justin Brisebois, the Division 5 councilor with the R.M. of Mankota.
The last resolution of the day was calling on SARM to lobby the federal and provincial governments to recognize and continue to support "the continued, responsible use of glyphosate as an essential tool for modern agricultural production."
Randy Aumack, Reeve of the R.M. of Meeting Lake, said the profitability and sustainability of grain farming relies heavily on the use of glyhposate.
"Far too often, we're hearing environmentalists saying glyphosate is not healthy, it's not good for you, it's poisonous, and it should be banned. As a council, we've seen that far too many times, so…I strongly encourage you to vote in favour of this." Aumack said.
It was passed with 90 per cent support.
Other agriculture resolutions SARM has been tasked with lobbying include the following:
-The Ministry of Agriculture to amend the Municipal Hail Insurance Regulations to add a section to ensure "that the SMHI maximum indemnity limit is never set at an amount less than the amount set in the previous year", and to make the change in time for the 2026 crop hail and fire coverage season.
-The provincial government lobby AAFC to establish an Agriculture Export Sales Reporting System in Canada, which would track, on a weekly basis, sales of wheat, durum, barley, oats, canola, soybeans, peas, corn, and lentils greater than 50,000 metric tonnes, or cumulative sales of 100,000 metric tonnes. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) is also advocating for this system.
-The provincial government to "establish and fund a full-time provincial position dedicated to the identification, monitoring, and active management of noxious weeds on Crown lands, administered through either the Ministry of Highways and/or the Ministry of Agriculture." Furthermore, the position would work with R.M.s to "coordinate weed control plans on Crown lands; ensure compliance with The Weed Control Act; implement proactive and preventative weed management strategies; and reduce the transfer of weed pressures from Crown lands onto municipal and privately held lands."
-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to "implement standardized grain contract provisions requiring compensation for delayed delivery acceptance that fully reflects the financial costs incurred by producers, including interest and related charges." In the resolution background, the R.M. of Victory, the submitting R.M., felt "that there is inadequate compensation for producers when grain contracts are not fulfilled on the agreed upon timeline."
The only defeated resolution was the first, which called for the elimination of the SARM mid-term convention in November to save money.
Reeve of the R.M. of Langenburg Terry Hildebrant proposed a compromise, but did not introduce an amendment to the motion, which was holding a virtual version of the mid-term convention.
Only 44 per cent of voting delegates supported eliminating the SARM mid-term convention. A two-thirds vote was required for that resolution to pass.
The full list of resolutions and background are available on the SARM website.
