December 6, 2022 (Ottawa, ON) – The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) continued its support for farmers and their right to repair farm machinery on Monday. APAS President Ian Boxall spoke before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology reiterating the importance of the right to repair our farm machinery.
“Saskatchewan has the largest farms, and the shortest growing season in the country,” Boxall said. “Each day we lose in the field can affect the quality, and quantity of the crops that we grow. If we can’t get our machinery fixed and running, it costs both farmers and consumers."
House of Commons Bill C-244 An Act to amend the Copyright Act was introduced in February 2022 and passed the Second reading on October 5th, 2022. A key principle in the Bill is to enable farmers access to the software and computer programs being used in their equipment.
“Our machinery has become more technically advanced in the last few decades, and has made us world leaders in sustainability, growing the most sustainable food, fuel, and fibre. We are thirty years ahead of everyone else,” Boxall added. “This however means that we have very high machinery costs, and we need to be able to fix our own machinery so we can control our costs and get back to work.”
This concludes the study of the bill at committee, and APAS will be making a submission in the new year to the government to further clarify and state its support for farmers’ right to repair their machinery.
Watch here: Bill C-244 An Act to Amend the Copyright Act
