Consultation on a New Tiered Dues System for the Union des producteurs agricoles

Since 1990, UPA dues have been based on the legal structure of farm businesses (sole proprietorship, partnership, trust, corporation, etc.). The parameters dictating the amount of dues payable by producers have become outdated and no longer reflect the reality of agriculture today.

Since 2015, discussions have been taking place within the UPA and among its directors to evaluate the option of developing a new dues system that would ensure greater equity among farm businesses.

In 2021, the General Congress passed a resolution to develop a proposed new dues system that would be more equitable for all. The Farm Producers Act was amended in 2023, giving us the ability to make changes to the dues system and to launch a consultation on the issue.

At various points in recent years, producers have called on the UPA for:

• More equitable financing through the creation of a mechanism allowing a supplementary assessment for producers without joint plans

• Lower dues for small operations, which may incur high costs relative to income, especially in the case of multiple-owner farms.

Various advance consultations have taken place in response to these requests. The General Congress passed a resolution in 2021 to develop a proposed new dues system that would be more equitable.

With the passing of Bill 28 in November 2023 and subsequent amendments to the Farm Producers Act, the UPA is now able to use new parameters to determine assessment amounts. These parameters will be determined subsequent to the consultations currently taking place.

No. The goal of the new dues system is not to increase the UPA’s budget. It is to meet previously calculated financing needs. The only difference in the new proposed system is how the financing load is distributed, with a view to ensuring greater equity among farm businesses.

There are three major changes in the new dues system under consideration:

• Tiered assessments based on gross farm receipts
• An assessment increase (in the form of supplementary assessments) for businesses in which 25% or more of gross farm receipts come from production types in which no contributions are paid to the UPA through joint plans
• Annual declarations by producers to determine the assessment amounts to be charged

The double assessment would be abolished for producers grouped within the same business.

Yes. The Règlement sur les contributions des fédérations et des syndicats spécialisés à l’Union des producteurs agricoles (Regulation respecting contributions of specialized federations and syndicates paid to the Union des producteurs agricoles) remains the same. This already allows for a form of equity based on business income; specialized groups will continue collecting volume-dependent contributions from farms that sell the applicable agricultural products.

For 2027, base assessments would be set for income tiers as follows:

For 2027, base assessments would be set for income tiers as follows:

The amounts for 2028 and 2029 will be indexed to address projected financing needs.

The more tiers there are, the more complex it becomes to manage the system, which could impact the integrity of the system and the UPA’s financial stability. Furthermore, there is a desire to mitigate the impact of the change for the majority of farms (i.e., minimize the disparity between current and future dues amounts). The number of tiers could change in the future.

• Since 2021, broad consultations have been conducted with directors from many producers’ groups to gather their opinions about proposed changes to the dues system.
• Various scenarios were developed to establish assessment tiers in such a way that both accounts for the overall portrait of farms in operation and covers the budget needs established in the financing plan.
• In parallel to these consultations, the 2025–2029 financing plan was adopted in 2024. It contains the organization’s five-year budget along with the amounts that must be collected through assessments and contributions to cover needs.
• On September 3, the UPA General Council approved a scenario for consulting producers. This scenario proposes two tiers for the base assessment and six tiers for the assessment increase for income derived from products not covered by joint plans.
• The number of tiers could change in the future.

The budget for the upcoming 2030–2034 plan will be established based on the recommendations of the medium- and long-term financing committee as well as broad-based consultations.

Our proposed definition is as follows: gross farm receipts are income derived from the marketing of agricultural products (before deductions). Any income from livestock farming is also included, as well as any replacement, supplementary, or additional income associated with a specific agricultural product.

The definition of gross farm receipts is based primarily on the definition that governs recognition of farm producer status in the Farm Producers Act.

A portion of the UPA’s financing currently comes from a variable contribution based on the volume of products marketed through joint plans, which leaves out production types not covered by such plans.

The purpose of the assessment increase is to ensure more equitable financing among farms, whether or not they pay contributions to the UPA.

This financing mechanism is comparable to contributions required from production types covered by joint plans, which already account for 35% of the UPA’s financing.

We are currently in the consultation period. At this time, producers are encouraged to take part in consultations scheduled for local syndicate AGMs in September and October 2025.

Following these consultations, the plan is to present a resolution and a by-law regarding the new dues system at the 2025 UPA General Congress.

If the by-law is approved at the General Congress, it will be submitted to the Régie des marchés agricoles et alimentaires du Québec for ratification. The goal is for the new assessment amounts to come into effect in January 2027.

Once the new financing method is adopted, it should not change. Only the amounts would be subject to change based on budgetary requirements established in the UPA financing plan. The dues system could also change based on future decisions made within the organization.

Your dues could go up or down depending on your business’s individual situation. These adjustments are necessary to achieve greater equity among producers depending on whether or not they pay contributions to the UPA, and to better take into account business income.

Under the new proposed system, about 50% of farms would see their dues go down and 30% would see them go up.