Agri-food leaders in the Great White North are turning up the volume on a message they say policymakers can’t afford to ignore.
As inflation-weary consumers look for relief at the grocery store, Canadian agri-food leaders are zeroing in on a different kind of pressure point—cross-border trade.
A high-level Canadian delegation traveled to Washington, D.C., in April with a clear message: cross-border agri-food trade must remain strong, stable and rules-based. The mission, organized by the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), aimed to protect the deeply integrated Canada-U.S. supply chains that help keep grocery shelves stocked and food prices stable.
“Canada and the U.S. are not just trading partners — we are production partners,” said Greg Northey, president of CAFTA and vice-president of corporate affairs at Pulse Canada. “Our integrated supply chains create jobs on both sides of the border and provide American consumers with stable, affordable access to food.”
While in Washington, CAFTA delegates met with U.S. lawmakers and senior officials to push for reduced trade barriers and stronger North American competitiveness.
“From farm to fork, Canada and the U.S. grow food together,” said CAFTA executive director Michael Harvey. “This integrated approach lowers costs, improves efficiency, and builds more resilient food systems for both countries.”
North America’s Seed Trade: A $500-Million Balancing Act
Canada’s seed industry may seem domestic, but it’s part of a finely tuned $500-million annual trade dance with the U.S. “We are very balanced, very complementary, and incredibly integrated,” says Lauren Comin, policy director at Seeds Canada. “Seed moves fluidly — until it doesn’t.”
That fluidity is at risk. With potential tariff changes and election-related policy delays in Canada, the seed sector there recently found itself in limbo. A federal election was held April 27, but at press time, Parliament wasn’t scheduled to resume until the end of May.
Certain seed classes — like garden and vegetable seed — are almost entirely imported in Canada. “We source virtually 100% of our garden seed from abroad,” says Comin. “And often, it moves through or is processed in the U.S., which impacts things like the tariff code.”
Even small policy shifts can disrupt these cross-border flows. “Some companies break up their production across North America to balance risk and ensure quality,” she explains. “Tariffs force them to rethink all of that.”
The ripple effect reaches beyond packets of seed sold at retail. “This affects greenhouse operations, produce production, and even nursery crops,” she says. “One seed might cross the border multiple times. How many tariffs can it sustain before it’s no longer viable?”
Trade Policy by a Thousand Paper Cuts
Canada’s ongoing Seed Regulatory Modernization (SRM) effort — aimed at updating decades-old rules — has hit a wall. “The government had promised to release a policy document this spring,” Comin notes. But the federal election paused all such work.
In response, Seeds Canada joined CAFTA to gain better access to trade conversations and amplify its voice. “It’s a win-win,” says Comin. “CAFTA has deep experience advocating for free trade.”
And there’s movement within the sector itself. Seeds Canada and the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association (CSGA) recently announced a joint proposal for a seed sector advisory committee to guide future federal policy. “This really is the result of months of dialogue between our two organizations,” says Doug Miller, CSGA executive director.
