Canadian Growers Association Urges Action on U.S. Tariffs

Dana Shugrue By Dana Shugrue|April 9, 2025

After Ontario’s greenhouse vegetable growers reported $6 million in tariff-induced losses from March 4-7, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) made an urgent call for policy changes to support Canada’s horticultural sector.

In its new report “Extraordinary Measures for Unprecedented Times: Supporting Canadian Horticulture Now and in the Future,” FVGC outlines the risks facing Canada’s horticulture sector in the current geopolitical climate and emphasizes how current Business Risk Management (BRM) programs should be reevaluated to adequately protect greenhouse vegetable growers.

“The need for immediate action cannot be overstated: Delays in implementing short-term supports and in accelerating the review of federal BRM programs could result in widespread business failures that would damage the capacity of Canadian fruit and vegetable producers to contribute to the food security needs of Canadians and others,” the report says.

Here are the immediate impacts from the 25% tariff President Donald Trump put into effect on March 4:

  • $2.2 million per-day loss for Ontario’s greenhouse vegetable growers for three days.
  • 200 truckloads of greenhouse vegetables that cross the American border now face uncertain futures.
  • Forced decisions to absorb large losses to maintain customer relationships or risk permanent delisting from U.S. retail programs.

The ongoing trade war has further emphasized the need for government support. FVGC encourages the Canadian government to take the following actions as soon as possible:

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  1. Establish a national surplus product removal program. With current trade barriers into the U.S., greenhouse growers will produce more fruits and vegetables than Canadians can consume. A national surplus product removal program would purchase these excess crops at a fair market price and distribute them through food banks, community programs, and public institutions.
  2. Increase the interest-free portion of advance payments programs with extended repayment terms. This would allow affected greenhouse growers to access multiple advance payments within a program year and extend repayment options by 12 months.
  3. Establish sector-specific market stabilization fund. A dedicated emergency fund would provide immediate compensation for greenhouse growers to prevent a full market collapse during peak harvest periods.
  4. Diversify trade markets while maintaining relationships with American buyers. Pursuing new trade markets across the East/West and North/South axes is important. However, it’s vital for Canadian growers to maintain and strengthen their relationships with U.S. buyers during this time considering the perishability of their product.
  5. Provide top-ups to existing AgriInvest accounts for horticulture producers. The Canadian government’s AgriInvest program represents an infrastructure that can quickly deliver emergency funds without new applications or administrative delays. FVGC encourages the government to create new top-ups, or funds for self-insuring against disaster, for fruit and vegetable growers since their crops cannot be stored for long periods of time.

FVGC also offered medium- and long-term recommendations for the Canadian government to support greenhouse growers. You can read more about them in the full report: https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=4395415-1&h=2990911711&u=https%3A%2F%2Ffvgc.ca%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F03%2FFVGC-BRM-Eng_-Final.pdf&a=Extraordinary+Measures+for+Unprecedented+Times.

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Dana Shugrue is the Content Specialist for CEAg World. See all author stories here.