MPs say current array of BRM programs inadequate for many farmers. Ottawa—The risks facing the agrifood sector have mushroomed in recent years topped off by the impact of COVID-19 and governments need to prepare for a potential financial disaster, says the chair of the Commons agriculture committee. In a letter to Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau and her provincial counterparts, Pat Finnigan said farm groups and others say an emergency fund is needed rapidly to deal with the disaster threat. Agriculture is “a sector that involves significant risks. Farmers' incomes can plummet as a result of extreme weather events, fluctuating market prices for agricultural commodities or non-tariff trade barriers imposed by Canada's trading partners. Labour shortages, animal diseases and challenges with the transportation of goods are also significant risks faced by producers,” he said. The committee held hearings during the last few months on both the pandemic and the state of the Business Risk Management (BRM) programs available to farmers. On top of the other risks, COVID-19 has highlighted “the structural weaknesses in the current BRM programs. Faced with this unprecedented crisis, several witnesses told us that the rapid establishment of an emergency fund to deal with this disaster would be necessary. This could notably involve an extension of the eligibility criteria of AgriRecovery to include major crises such as pandemics.” The agrifood sector contributes more than $143 billion to Canada's gross domestic product and employs one in eight workers.” While AgriStability is a key part of BRM, only about one-third of farmers use it because of its administrative burden, low activation point, and slow payments and allowable expenses provisions. Farm groups also noted gaps in the AgriInsurance program that does not cover livestock and certain horticultural products in many provinces and territories. While the government did increase loan rates and repayment deadlines for the Advance Payments Program (APP), groups noted “debt is a serious problem for many farms and that new debt is not a viable long-term solution for the sector. They urged the government to develop risk management programs that do not involve debt.” While the AgriInvest program doesn't involve debt, it only handles “small income fluctuations and is unsuited for more significant losses,” Finnigan said. “Amending BRM programs to make them more compatible with private insurance plans was also mentioned as a possible step forward to help farmers manage their risks,” he said. The government should consider “new concept BRM programs that will address the complex diversity of agriculture and any new program that will assist in creating local, stable and secure food production for all Canadians.” The committee is to make a written report to Bibeau later this summer on its hearings. The ministers were to discuss BRM changes this summer at their annual meeting but that session has been postponed to October because of the pandemic. 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.