Bibeau says the government is responding and more will be done.Ottawa--Export-oriented farmers are facing significant market disruptions due to global trade disruptions and want the federal government to provide them with financial support as it plans to do for 11,000 Canadian dairy farmers, the AGgrowth Coalition says.The Coalition has been pushing for action for months since China began blocking exports of canola and later pork and beef. It presented a four-point action plan to the federal and provincial agriculture ministers at their annual summer meeting in July to help more than 100,000 crop and livestock producers suffering from major market closures. “Agriculture as a whole requires the support of government when faced with risks caused by political decisions outside of its control.”AGgrowth Co-Chairman Markus Haerle said, “Enough stalling, the government needs to provide support to farmers facing the impact of escalating global trade volatility. Equitable treatment is expected and reasonable. This isn't about dividing farmers, this is about consistency in policy and the need to protect and support agriculture as a whole.”Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the government has stayed in close contact with the impacted agricultural sectors and has made adjustments to its programming to better suit their current needs. However, she said nothing about compensation along the lines of the $345 million that is slated to be disbursed among dairy producers in the coming months.She noted changes to the Advance Payments Program (APP) to increase loan limits and extend a stay of default for six months for this year's cash advances for grain, oilseed and pulse producers impacted by recent market disruptions. The government is also working with the provinces on improvements to the Business Risk Management (BRM) programs, especially AgriStability, for the 2020 growing season.“Canada's focus is on reopening markets as soon as possible,” she said. “We will continue to work closely with the sector to evaluate the situation to determine any impacts, and assess what additional support may be required.”Chris van den Heuvel, another AGgrowth co-chairman, said, “Urgent action is needed, BRM programming needs to be reinstated to its former levels immediately for all farmers across Canada.”Jeff Nielsen, chairman of Grain Growers of Canada, said, “The government needs to stand up for farmers facing this critical situation created by geopolitical decisions and market risks outside of their control.”The Coalition hopes to meet soon with Bibeau and Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr to discuss the need for more support for farmers.Its four point action plan for action included immediately adjusting AgriStability to cover losses starting at 85 per cent of historical reference margins with no reference margin limits, extending production insurance to livestock and horticulture crops currently not covered under AgriInsurance, focusing BRM programs on effectiveness rather than funding levels and establishing an industry-government technical working group to enable farm groups to actively participate in BRM data and impact analysis.Bibeau said that a canola working group, co-chaired by the Canola Council and Agriculture Canada, has been working since April on strategies to resolve market access issues, diversify markets, and support the sector. A government–industry working group on pork and beef has also recently been established to assess the impacts of the suspension and develop strategies to address the loss of the Chinese market.“Export diversification is a strategic priority for our government,” she said. The European and Pacific trade deals give “Canadian farmers and producers preferential market access to an estimated 1.5 billion consumers in more than 50 countries.” Pork and beef exports are rising in Asia and Pacific markets “and we expect these trends to continue as key markets like Japan reduce barriers to trade.”The Coalition represents the Canadian Canola Growers Association, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Horticultural Council, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Grain Growers of Canada, and the National Sheep Network.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.