Farmers deplore the rise in farmland prices in the Outaouais

The report of FCCprovides an annual overview of regional trends in farmland values ​​across Canada in land price per acre. For the year 2022, it reveals that the average value of farmland has increased by 12.8% across Canada and by 11% in the province of Quebec.

While the price of cultivated land has been rising steadily for the past 37 years in Quebec, agricultural land in the Outaouais has gone from $485 per acre in 1996 to $4,500 per acre in 2022.

alexander macmillan is an organic farmer from L’Ange-Gardien. He confirms that the increase in land prices is nothing new. In 2015, the Union of Agricultural Producers [UPA] in Outaouais submitted a brief on the increase in land priceshe points out.

Land accessibility is a problem that we have always experienced but which is becoming more and more accentuateddeplores for his part Frédéric Turgeon-Savard, market gardener and vice-president of the Union of agricultural succession, Laurentides-Outaouais section.

For Quebec as a whole, we are talking about an increase of 248% for the last 10 years. For example, in the Laurentians, land is 17 times more expensive than 30 years agohe says.

As for the cause of this increase, Mr. Turgeon-Savard explains that in agriculture, the laws of the market take precedence. He also points to the stagnation of the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec, which according to him has not increased in recent years.

Affirming that the ministry’s budget is used more and more to reimburse agricultural taxes and to pay insurance, he deduces that the share of subsidy for succession remains minimal.

Solutions exist, say farmers

During its annual conference organized at the beginning of March, the Fédération de lalève agricole du Québec (FRAQ) issued a cry from the heart to the government. Asking first of all for a more consistent listening, farmers would also like a boost in order to fight against the increase in the price of agricultural land.

We have a few solutions to FRAQ, as a tax credit for buyers. We would also like there to be regulations regarding fallow land, because we [constate] that there are many purchases of land from people who do not farmsays Mr. Turgeon-Savard.

Mr. Macmillan recalls that theUPA had proposed various solutions in 2015, including the creation of tax incentives for sales to agricultural succession. While he concedes that aid currently exists to help the next generation, he explains that it only concerns equipment.

” There is absolutely nothing to help with the purchase of land. »

There FRAQ asks the government in particular to look into a law against speculation in the field of agricultural land in order to prevent land purchases from being carried out without production objectives. According to Mr. Turgeon-Savard, one out of two businesses closes its doors before reaching five years of existence.

Mr. Turgeon-Savard thus affirms that he does not feel supported by the government whereas the profession of farmer is, according to him, fundamental. It is really important that we bring agricultural issues back to the forehe says, saying he believes that agriculture is an underfunded area.

Asked about the situation by Radio-Canada, the office of the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, André Lamontagne, claims to be determined to continue [son] support for agricultural succession in these difficult times. He also specifies that several programs exist to help the next generation of farmers, in particular the Sustainable Growth Investment Program (PICD) and the FIRA financing program.

With information from Nelly Alberola