Once a month, we partner up with LobbyIQ to update our readers on recent movements in the federal lobbying landscape in Ottawa. We provide separate coverage for each channel, defined by the most relevant industries, organizations, institutions, and subject matters.

Key Takeaways — Agri-Food

• Lobbying activity totalled 294 meetings in April 2026, up from a 12-month average of 195.1.
• The biggest moves were in Crop production and Poultry and egg production.
• Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Canola Growers Association were more active than usual.

Section A: The Themes Hidden in April 2026 Data

Federal Regulatory Reform Prioritizes Food Security

April saw the Government of Canada propose changes to food and pesticide regulation, with food security and affordability becoming central mandates for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the new Pesticide Regulatory Directorate, echoed in Fertilizer Canada's input to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and CropLife Canada's engagement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. This closely coincides with heightened agri-food lobbying from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture for a ‘competitiveness lens’ in regulation and streamlined approval timelines, reflecting major sector input as detailed in April's meeting surge across the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada.

📎 Ag industry welcomes federal food, pesticide regulatory reform

Market Diversification Funding Responds to Export Pressures

A new $75 million Market Diversification stream for agri-food exporters was launched, coming amid trade disruptions and increased sector lobbying from organizations such as the Canadian Produce Marketing Association and Fertilizer Canada for stronger export and market access programs through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Crop, pork, and poultry organizations had recently escalated advocacy efforts around international trade, aligning with the goals of these new government supports, as reflected in the push from the Canadian Cattle Association to AAFC for expanded market access.

📎 The Government of Canada strengthens support for agricultural exports ...

Sector Consultation Gathers Input for Next Policy Framework

Government consultations for the next agricultural policy framework ramped up in June and July, coinciding with persistent lobbying—particularly by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture in meetings with the House of Commons, Senate of Canada, and Transport Canada—for more agile government programming and investment in agri-food innovation. Organizations like the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Nutrien Ltd. featured prominently, as the sector pushed for improvements in capital cost allowances, farm transfers, and critical input supply chains.

📎 CAPI - Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute

Geopolitical Tensions Drive Calls for Trade Strategy Shift

Canadian exporters faced retaliatory tariffs and trade barriers in 2026, particularly in the crop and livestock sectors. This volatility coincides with sharply rising lobbying by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Fertilizer Canada, and the Canadian Canola Growers Association for market diversification and international trade resilience throughout April, as organizations such as these engaged with both the House of Commons and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to seek federal backing to weather global uncertainty.

📎 Rising geopolitical tensions show why Canada’s agri‑food trade strategy ...

Boost to Agri-Food Innovation and Infrastructure

Federal funding announcements in May prioritized agri-food innovation and infrastructure, supporting commercialization and value-added processing—especially in response to April’s surge in lobbying by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture for a dedicated agricultural infrastructure stream in discussions with the House of Commons and Transport Canada. This investment focus comes as organizations advocated for better logistics, storage, and digital connectivity across farming regions, with calls from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture for agricultural impact assessments in federal infrastructure projects brought before the Senate of Canada.

📎 This Week in Agri-Food — Ottawa (#19, 2026)

Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry

This section compares, by NAICS industry, the lobbying activity in Ottawa last month to its historical average.

Lobbying activity across this channel totalled 294 meetings in April 2026, up from a 12-month average of 195. The most active industry was Crop production, while Poultry and egg production rose above its recent baseline.

The industries with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include Crop production logged 159 meetings, up from an average of 97, Pork and other animal production logged 10 meetings, up from an average of 4, Poultry and egg production logged 47 meetings, up from an average of 24, and Agricultural science and products logged 38 meetings, up from an average of 24.

Dairy cattle and milk production had 14 meetings, down from an average of 21.

Section C: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year

To contextualize, we show each industry's lobbying activity over the past 12 months. The combined view from Section B and C shows you whether recent differences are persistent trends or a break from the norm.

Top Industry Residual Trends for 2026-04

Crop production saw lobbying run notably above expected levels in April 2026.

↳ Crop production has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Crop production displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Poultry and egg production has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Poultry and egg production displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Agricultural science and products has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Agricultural science and products displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Pork and other animal production has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Pork and other animal production displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Dairy cattle and milk production has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Dairy cattle and milk production displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

Section D: Lobbying Activity by Organization

In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Canola Growers Association, Canadian Egg Marketing Agency COB Egg Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada, and Nutrien Ltd..

Section E: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month

Every time an organization lobbies, there is a government official representing a government institution at the other side of the table. This section shows the industry-institutions pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity. Below that, we show the corresponding organization-institution pairs.

Industries → Government Institutions

Organizations → Government Institutions

The busiest industry → institution corridors this month:

↳ Crop production → House of Commons: 59 meetings (avg 33, +79%).

↳ Poultry and egg production → House of Commons: 26 meetings (avg 12, +124%).

The busiest organization → institution corridors this month:

↳ Canadian Federation of Agriculture → House of Commons: 22 meetings (avg 4, +439%).

↳ Canadian Egg Marketing Agency COB Egg Farmers of Canada → House of Commons: 16 meetings (avg 4, +300%).

↳ Canadian Cattle Association → House of Commons: 12 meetings (avg 7, +82%).

Section F: Industry and Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month

All lobbying activity is tagged with a "subject matter". This section shows the industry-subject pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity, and below it the organization-subject pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month.

Industries → Subjects

Organizations → Subjects

The busiest industry → subject corridors this month:

↳ Crop production → Agriculture: 153 meetings (avg 95, +61%).

↳ Crop production → International Trade: 99 meetings (avg 73, +35%).

↳ Crop production → Economic Development: 66 meetings (avg 44, +49%).

The busiest organization → subject corridors this month:

↳ Canadian Canola Growers Association → Economic Development: 40 meetings (avg 13, +210%).

↳ Canadian Canola Growers Association → Agriculture: 40 meetings (avg 14, +187%).

↳ Canadian Federation of Agriculture → Agriculture: 36 meetings (avg 7, +427%).

Section G: Last Month's Most Lobbied Politicians and Civil Servants

This section presents a list of the politicians and civil servants who took the most meetings with key industry players last month.

Most Lobbied Individuals by Sector

Most Lobbied Individuals by Organization

Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by sector) this month were Crop production → Lawrence Hanson (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)), Crop production → Heath Macdonald (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)) and Crop production → Kody Blois (House of Commons).

Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by organization) this month were Cereals Canada Inc → Derek Bunkowsky (Canadian Grain Commission (CGC)), Chicken Farmers of Canada → Aaron Fowler (Global Affairs Canada (GAC)) and Chicken Farmers of Canada → Aaron Fowler (Global Affairs Canada (GAC)).