Recommendations for the Next Agriculture Policy Framework (NPF)

Recommendations for the Next Agriculture Policy Framework (NPF)

Summary

Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments have begun consultations with stakeholders to help set the direction of the next policy framework and as a first step, are expected to release a new ministerial statement in summer 2026 - the successor to the 2021 Guelph Statement.

Pulse Canada has invested significant resources over decades to grow our industry and diversify our markets, and NPF programming to help accelerate this work has been an important driver of our sector’s success. The program design and resourcing for the next NPF will be particularly critical to ensure the pulse sector’s competitiveness in the face of the current geopolitical instability and market disruptions.

Pulses are globally traded, export-oriented crops, and the success of the sector depends on predictable access to international markets, reliable rail and container supply chains, and science and innovation that supports both farm performance and downstream demand. The NPF should therefore integrate trade and market growth, competitiveness, and resiliency - with program tools that work for all elements of the pulse value chains.

Pulse Canada recommends that the NPF be developed to include:

• A clear commitment to trade and market-growth – including science-based, predictable market access - as a core pillar of sector resilience and growth.
• A modern approach to market diversification that recognizes both geographical diversification and demand creation through new applications, end-use categories and adoption of Canadian agricultural products and ingredients.
• A dedicated focus on supply chain reliability and trade-enabling infrastructure, supported by transparent performance data to drive continuous improvement.
• A modern program design approach: flexible eligibility, faster approvals, lower administrative burden, and the ability to fund short, applied technical work that supports market access and demand growth.
• A long-horizon science commitment (beyond five-year cycles) and investment in capacity development across the value chain, including specialized expertise to support pulse breeding agronomy, and value-added utilization.
• Continued support for assurance systems that substantiate sustainability and quality attributes required by customers and regulators.
• Greater flexibility for industry-led organizations to define priorities, establish success metrics, and respond to evolving market opportunities and technical challenges.

Specific Pulse Sector Priorities for the NPF

Science, research and innovation: long-horizon, value-chain science

• Ensure science investments address whole value chain needs, from production to ingredient processing and food manufacturing.
• Support foundational work on pulse quality, processing functionality, new applications and co-products, and credible nutrition evidence.
• Commit to long horizon breeding and agronomy beyond a single five-year cycle (disease, drought, yield).
• Support research and standard development that define and measure quality, enabling Canadian products to differentiate beyond price-based competitive.
• Support knowledge translation activities that convert research outputs into practical tools, technical resources, guidance documents, and market-facing materials that accelerate industry adoption.
• Recognize scientific and technical expertise as strategic infrastructure. Long-term competitiveness depends not only on physical assets and research projects, but also on maintaining the specialized knowledge and capabilities required to support breeding, production, processing, quality assurance, market access, and value-added utilization.

Program implications (what programs should be able to fund/deliver):

• Maintain and strengthen cluster-style programming and the industry/government co-investment model, including downstream partners where relevant.
• Establish an agile, rapid response research funding window to address emerging issues mid-cycle (e.g., new diseases, residue issues, market-driven specification changes).
• Improve approval timelines and set service standards so research can proceed within each growing season (and research windows are not missed).
• Support mechanisms that build and maintain research capacity in strategically important disciplines including breeding, agronomy, food science and engineering, and nutrition.
• Recognize that the continuity of expertise is essential to achieving long-term outcomes and should be considered alongside project-based research investments.

Market development and trade: predictable access and diversification

• Grow long-term demand for Canadian pulses and other crops as essential inputs, supporting Canada's export resilience and importing countries' food security and economic growth.
• Integrate Canadian products into the domestic food and feed industries of importing countries to create durable forms of diversification.
• Expand diversification to include end-use demand-building and application development for pulse ingredients across global value chains.
• Recognize technical engagement and pre-competitive research as essential market development activities; decisions in value-added sectors are made by food scientists, nutrition experts, and quality professionals, Evidence tailored to these audiences is a prerequisite.
• Reaffirm science-based trade rules and the importance of predictable, timely technology approvals and alignment of maximum residue limits (MRLs).
• Modernize trade tools and services to reduce border friction and speed export processes.

Program implications (what programs should be able to fund/deliver):

• Protect and strengthen multi-year funding for market development, including technical market support that underpins export growth (including short, applied research, ingredient validation, technical dossiers, formulation guidance, etc.).
• Provide flexibility to pursue diversification through both new geographic markets and new end-use categories in existing markets - including strategies led through global firms rather than fixed country lists.
• Support partnerships that enable processors and manufacturers to adopt Canadian pulses as an ingredient at scale (proof-of-concept, formulation work and pre-commercial trials).

Resiliency and public trust: supply chains, risk management and assurance

• Recognize that supply chain reliability and trade-enabling infrastructure are core enablers of competitiveness for export-oriented sectors and ensure risk management tools remain responsive to systemic disruptions.
• Strengthen assurance systems that demonstrate sustainability and quality attributes required by customers and regulators.

Program implications (what programs should be able to fund/deliver):

• Create (or clearly signal) a dedicated stream for supply chain resiliency that supports performance measurement, transparency and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Maintain agile assurance programming to respond quickly to evolving customer, regulatory and sustainability requirements, including measurement and verification.

Industry-led priority setting

• Recognize that agricultural sectors face distinct technical, regulatory, market, and adoption challenges across commodities groups.
• Provide greater flexibility for industry-led organizations to define research, innovation, and market development priorities based on demonstrated sector needs and market opportunities.
• Allow sectors to determine the specific activities, outcomes, and pathways that are most likely to deliver competitiveness, resilience, and growth.

Program implications (what programs should be able to fund/deliver):

• Allow industry organizations to identify and address the technical barriers, market opportunities, and capability gaps most relevant to their sector.
• Recognize industry-developed strategies and priorities setting exercises as valid mechanisms for defining investment priorities.
• Reduce prescriptive program requirements that require projects to be reframed to align with shifting policy themes despite clear evidence of industry relevance.
• Recognize that priorities for export-oriented field crops, livestock sectors, specialty crops, ingredient manufacturers, food processors, and emerging value-added industries may differ significantly.
• Allow sectors to establish success metrics that reflect commercial outcomes, market adoption, competitiveness, demand growth, and value creation rather than relying on standardized program metrics.
• Maintain strong, multi-year support for market diversification and advocacy to reduce trade barriers.
• Allow flexible eligibility for short (2-6 months) applied technical work that supports market development (e.g., targeted product-use studies, literature reviews, technical dossiers and white papers).
• Reduce reliance on fixed country lists where the relevant strategy is end-use category development.
• Improve administrative efficiency and predictability through timely approvals, predictable cash flow and reduced administrative burden.
• Recognize the distinct scientific needs of different crops and value-added sectors, rather than broad agriculture- or processing- wide priorities.
• Support a value-chain scope: foundational quality and processing research, proof-of-concept applications and co-product utilization - not only primary production.
• Broaden nutrition and health research pathways beyond projects that must culminate in Health Canada pre-market health claims.
• Commit to long-horizon breeding, disease resistance, drought resilience and yield improvement research beyond five-year cycles.
• Preserve and strengthen cluster-style programming and establish rapid-response research windows for emerging mid-cycle issues.
• Ensure timely approvals and streamlined processes so research can proceed within each growing season.
• Support capacity development and succession planning in areas of strategic importance where expertise is limited and difficult to replace.

Additional Material - Program design recommendations for flagship programs

AgriMarketing

• Maintain strong, multi-year support for market diversification and advocacy to reduce trade barriers.
• Allow flexible eligibility for short (2-6 months) applied technical work that supports market development (e.g., targeted product-use studies, literature reviews, technical dossiers and white papers).
• Reduce reliance on fixed country lists where the relevant strategy is end-use category development.
• Improve administrative efficiency and predictability through timely approvals, predictable cash flow and reduced administrative burden.

AgriScience

• Recognize the distinct scientific needs of different crops and value-added sectors, rather than broad agriculture- or processing- wide priorities.
• Support a value-chain scope: foundational quality and processing research, proof-of-concept applications and co-product utilization - not only primary production.
• Broaden nutrition and health research pathways beyond projects that must culminate in Health Canada pre-market health claims.
• Commit to long-horizon breeding, disease resistance, drought resilience and yield improvement research beyond five-year cycles.
• Preserve and strengthen cluster-style programming and establish rapid-response research windows for emerging mid-cycle issues.
• Ensure timely approvals and streamlined processes so research can proceed within each growing season.
• Support capacity development and succession planning in areas of strategic importance where expertise is limited and difficult to replace.

AgriAssurance

• Support work that substantiates sustainability attributes (including measurement and verification) and defines Canadian pulse quality for processing.
• Maintain agile funding mechanisms to respond quickly to evolving customer and regulatory requirements.