U.S. tariffs drive renewed push for local agriculture and sustainable farming on P.E.I.

Delaney Kelly · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 6:19 AM EST | Last Updated: March 5

With the "Buy Canadian" question connected the rise, determination is increasing involvement successful supporting section agriculture and promoting sustainable farming connected Prince Edward Island.

U.S. President Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariffs connected astir Canadian goods took effect Tuesday, but adjacent successful the weeks starring up to it, Canadians person progressively turned distant from U.S. products successful favour of homegrown alternatives.

This renewed involvement successful supporting section accumulation was a cardinal taxable astatine a caller accusation gathering by the P.E.I. AgriWatershed Partnership successful Montague.

Farmers and watershed groups came unneurotic to sermon however choosing section not lone keeps wealth successful Canadian communities but besides plays a important relation successful biology sustainability.

Jackie Bourgeois, executive manager of Southeast Environmental Association, said farmers and watershed groups indispensable enactment unneurotic for the bully of the land. Open connection and collaboration betwixt these groups, she said, volition thrust much sustainable practices connected the Island.

"We person to person a steadfast situation successful bid to adjacent turn food," Bourgeois said. 

Sustainability successful farming

Vernon Campbell has been operating his workplace connected Grahams Road since the '80s and has agelong been committed to sustainable agriculture.

"The accumulation of safe, wholesome, nutritious nutrient done successful a mode that leaves our soil, water, aerial and our assemblage successful a amended information than erstwhile we recovered it — that is our ngo statement," Campbell said. 

To execute that, helium has implemented a bid of sustainable practices, including ungraded erosion control, the operation of writer waterways and farmable berms. These efforts, helium said, person helped support his workplace some economically and environmentally sustainable.

Part of that enactment is moving with section watershed groups, which helium believes to beryllium precise important. 

"Meetings similar contiguous are vitally important to the advancement of sustainability and a amended situation for Prince Edward Island," Vernon said. 

Islanders tin bash their portion supporting these sustainable practices by buying locally, helium said. 

"Buy section has ever been important, but ne'er much truthful than today. If we privation our nutrient proviso to beryllium secure. If we privation our farmers to beryllium environmentally sustainable, past yes, we request to bargain local," Vernon said. 

While helium acknowledges that P.E.I. can't lick the economical interaction of tariffs done section depletion alone, helium believes buying section is inactive a applicable mode to enactment farmers and the environment.

"Knowing wherever your nutrient comes from, knowing that it's produced successful a sustainable manner… That's the heartbeat of Prince Edward Island and Canada," Campbell said.