Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 30, 2020

Seed corn companies in Southern Ontario will now be able to access crucial labour through the TFW program and SAWP

The Canadian Seed Trade Association is pleased that the federal government has added seed corn to the National Commodities List, giving seed corn companies access to labour that is urgently needed.
 
Southern Ontario is home to Canada’s seed corn industry, which fuels the country’s corn demand. The seed corn companies traditionally rely on local high school students to fulfil their temporary labour demands in the summer and have had difficulty accessing the number of workers needed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Human health is the priority for seed corn companies, which implemented a number of measures to protect their employees over the past season. Labour access will remain a large challenge looking ahead to 2021.
 
Seed corn has recently been added to the National Commodities List, and seed corn companies will now be able to access the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). Seed corn companies welcome today’s announcement with relief, as they have been advocating for this change.
 
On behalf of our members, the Canadian Seed Trade Association sincerely thanks the Government of Canada for addressing this issue. Seed corn companies will now be able to meet their labour requirements and ensure the success of the crop, leading to the growth of the Canadian corn industry as a whole.

Website: http://cdnseed.org

Published: December 1, 2020