Agricultural Products Board

Agricultural Products Board

The Agricultural Products Board was established under the authority of the Agricultural Products Board Act. It was made up of the same members as the Agricultural Stabilization Board. Its broad authority was to buy, sell or import agricultural products. It generally dealt with matters ancillary to price-support operations, but not coming specifically under the authority of the Agricultural Stabilization Act (1958).

The Agricultural Products Board Act was also used to provide purchase and resale price support for a number of agricultural commodities such as sweet cherries, apples, grape juice, grape concentrate, potatoes, peaches, pears, sour cherries, prune-plums, peas, turkeys, sweet corn and whole tomatoes.

Because the board had the facility to act quickly during or just prior to the marketing season to remove surplus product from the market, the cost to the taxpayer was usually much less than a general stabilization program provided after the marketing season. Through past programs, the board has supplied the World Food Program with canned turkey, dehydrated potatoes, canned beef loaf and canned whole egg powder. Funds for the board's purchase operations were provided through specific appropriations for this purpose, with revenue from sales of products being credited directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The board reported to the minister of agriculture.

The board fell into disuse and in 1997 the Agricultural Products Board Act was repealed under the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act (Bill C-34).