ORGANICAGRICULTUREINCANADA:BYTHENUMBERS

AccordingCOTA’s*estimates,therewere5,053 organicoperations**inCanadain2015,including:

4,045 primaryproducers+294 in-transition

618 livestockoperations

1,542 processors,manufacturers &retailers

*CanadaOrganicTradeAssociation(COTA)**Thenumberof organicoperationsisnotanaggregateoftheothercategoriessincemanyoperationsfallintomultiplecategories(e.g.,anoperationmaybea

primaryproducerandalivestockoperation).

Organic PrimaryProducers

In2015therewere4,045certifiedproducers

concentratedinQuebec,Saskatchewan

andOntario.Followingapost-recessiondip,ithastaken6yearsforthenumberoforganicproducerstosurpassitspreviouspeakin2009(3,914).

Revealingstrongsupportandsteadydemandfororganic,QuebecandBCarehometothelargestnumberofin-

transitionproducers.TheAtlanticprovinces

hadthegreatestincreasein

transitionalproducerswith23addedin

2015.

492

279

764

124

693

1,02

0

136

-

562

311

843

134

708

1,07

9

137

-

562

380

824

138

770

1,22

0

146

5

BC AB SK MB ON QC Atlantic YT/NWT

2013

2014

2015

Certified

50

3 0 0 14

97

5 0

56

20

33

6

51

129

4 0

54

33

27

4

26

121

27

2

BC AB SK MB ON QC Atlantic YT/NWT

201320142015

In-transition

March2017

Organic Acreage

OrganicacreageinCanadaincreasedbyover70,000acresbetween2014and2015to2.43millionacres.Organicareasnowaccountforapproximately1.5%oftotal

agriculturallandinCanada.

Whilepasturestilloccupiesthelargestshareofallorganicacreage,itsproportionhas

decreasedfrom65%to63.8%primarilyduetosignificantincreasesinvegetable&rootcropacreage,aswellasfruit&nutacreage.

ORGANICAGRICULTUREINCANADA:BYTHENUMBERS

OrganicProcessors,HandlersandRetailers

Therehasbeenageneralreductioninthenumberofcertifiedprocessors,handlersandmanufacturersin2015estimates.COTAsuspectsthatthisdropisattributedtogapsinthedataduetochangesinthecertificationbodylandscapein2015.Thiswillbeatrendto

watchforintheanalysisof2016data.

TheYukonreporteditsfirstcertifiedprocessorin2015.

270

73

64 44

347

597

51

0

265

80

89

54

300

742

51

0

260

57 56 47

375

703

63

1

BC AB SK MB ON QC Atlantic YT

2013

2014

2015

1,43

0,42

8

1,49

3,51

3

1,37

4,57

9

1,55

3,19

4

1,73

8,82

5

1,73

8,82

5

2,07

8,68

8

2,06

0,56

8

2,14

7,93

4

2,35

7,19

7

2,43

3,60

2

0.9% 0.9%0.8%

0.9%1.0% 1.0%

1.2% 1.2%1.3% 1.3%

1.5%

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Acres Shareoftotalagriculturalland

Fruit&Nuts0.7%

Vegetables1.8%

FieldCrops33.7%

Pasture&Forage63.8%

Shareoforganicacreage:

March2017

OrganicAcreagebyRegion

Overall,theAtlanticprovincessawthegreatestincreaseinorganicacreagebetween2014and2015,withanadditionofover10,000acres.Thisreflectstheadditionof23newcertifiedproducersduringthat

timeframe.Saskatchewanishometoover1/3(37%)ofCanada’sorganiclands,followedbyBC(25%)andAlberta(17%).

606,966

441,727

868,092

82,117

123,948

215,617

18,474

615,779

425,656

893,161

91,618 155,773

220,688

29,890

1,037

BC AB SK MB ON QC Atlantic YK&NWT

2014

2015

March2017

OrganicacresbyCanadianregion,2014&2015

Source:CanadaOrganicTradeAssociationAnnualCanadianOrganicProductionStatistics(2017)

Fruit&Nuts FreshVegetables&RootCrops FieldCrops Pasture&Forage TOTAL

2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015BC 2,300 2,380 4,012 8,445 13,398 15,981 587,255 588,973 606,966 615,779AB 54 795 1,579 6,286 117,241 137,216 322,854 281,359 441,727 425,656SK 116 221 598 5,383 499,982 490,893 367,396 396,663 868,092 893,161MB 46 109 2,379 1,160 29,711 34,134 49,981 56,215 82,117 91,618ON 1,352 3,255 5,181 15,963 64,344 78,611 53,072 57,944 123,948 155,773QC 8,152 9,847 2,027 3,087 56,462 53,761 148,976 153,993 215,617 220,688

Atlantic 268 1,365 1,177 2,346 7,790 8,678 9,239 17,501 18,474 29,890YK&NWT 2 66 15 332 8 240 231 399 256 1,037

256

ORGANICAGRICULTUREINCANADA:BYTHENUMBERS

OrganicAcreagebyCropTypes

ORGANICAGRICULTUREINCANADA:BYTHENUMBERS

Fieldcropandpasture&foragecropacreageincreasedslightly

between2014and2015.Thoughmuchsmaller

areasintotal,fruit&nutacreageincreasedby

nearly50percent,whilefreshvegetableandrootcropacreagetripled

between2014and2015.

OrganicTradeIn2015,Canadaimported$652millionCADworthofthe65trackedorganicproducts,representinga37%increasefrom2012.Thereare127countriesthathaveprovidedorganicproductstoCanadabetween2012and2015.Thetop5countriesoforiginhavesuppliednearlythree-quartersofalltrackedimports(byvalue)

since2012.

TheCanadaOrganicTradeAssociation(COTA)wouldliketosincerelythankalloftheorganicCertificationBodies&organicassociationsthatprovidedthedatausedinthisanalysis.Theirvoluntaryparticipationplays

avaluableroleinunderstandingandsupportingtheorganicsectorinCanada.Abigthankyouto:

AtlanticCanadaOrganicRegionalNetwork(ACORN)AtlanticCertifiedOrganicCo-op(ACO)

BCAssociationforRegenerativeAgriculture(BCARA)CARTVCCOF

CCPBSRLCentreforSystemsIntegration(CSI)

CertifiedOrganicAssociationofBC(COABC)Ecocert

FraserValleyOrganicProducersAssociation(FVOPA)

GlobalOrganicAlliance(GOA)InternationalCertificationServices,Inc.(ICS)

LETISOregonTilth

OrganicCropImprovementAssociation(OCIA)OrganicProducersAssociationofManitoba(OPAM)

PacificAgriculturalCertificationService(PACS)Pro-CertOrganic

QAITCOCert

Valueandvolumeoftrackedorganicimports:

2012 2013 2014 2015Value

(millionCAD) $476.8 $505.0 $576.6 $652.4

Volume*(millions) 181.1kg 194.0kg 194.1kg 197.9kg

*ExcludingmilkSource:StatisticsCanada,CATSNETAnalytics,2016

12,289

16,967

788,93

6

1,53

9,00

4

18,039

42,994

819,52

2

1,55

3,04

7

Fruit&nuts Vegetables FieldCrops Pasture&foragecrops

20142015

March2017