ORGANICAGRICULTUREINCANADA:BYTHENUMBERS

In2015,therewere 5,053 organicoperations*inCanada,including:

4,045 primaryproducers+294 in-transition

618 livestockoperations

1,542 processors,manufacturers &retailers

*Thenumberof organicoperationsisnotanaggregateoftheothercategoriessincemanyoperationsfallintomultiplecategories(e.g.,anoperationmaybeaprimaryproducerandalivestockoperation).

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

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