Governments need to act to prevent bankruptcies.Ottawa—A shortage of workers and inadequate government support programs have many fruit and vegetable growers worried about the future of their business, says Brian Gilroy. President of the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC).“We think this is an opportunity for the federal government to continue to demonstrate how critically important our food security and supply is to Canada, and to underline that governments have farmer's backs, to paraphrase the Prime Minister,” Gilroy, an apple grower from Meaford, Ont., told the Commons agriculture committee.While the government responded to fears about foreign workers being denied entry, its reports on the number in Canada don't reflect what growers are experiencing.“Based on numbers we have found internally, the data that we have compiled shows that so far Ontario, which also coordinates arrivals for the Atlantic, has received 78 per cent of the requested workers, Quebec has received just 50 per cent and B.C. has received 54 per cent.”Growers would expect a full complement of workers by May and June, he said. “We are very concerned with the small numbers we are seeing of workers that are fully processed to arrive. Without the guarantee of a reliable workforce, many growers are making decisions as to whether it's practical – let alone possible – to plant crops or tend to fruit trees.“Certain sub-sectors in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry are facing very acute and immediate challenges: such as potatoes and greenhouse vegetables, while others are making decisions on the future of their business,” he said. “What is common among all commodities is that the impacts felt this year, as a result of COVID-19, will have a lasting impact on their operations.”CHC Vice President Jan VanderHout of Hamilton, said greenhouse operations are in full swing across the country. “The threat of not having a reliable workforce is the greatest challenge the greenhouse vegetable sector along with rest of horticulture is facing.“Our sector is very modern and uses a lot of helpful technologies, but it is still very labour-intensive and we rely on the hard work of our employees to keep our operations running.”Existing insurance programs for greenhouse operators are prohibitive and there is barely any uptake in those programs, he said. “Therefore, any measures put in place by our respective provincial governments will not benefit us – we will still be taking on that risk without any safety net.“Canadian fruit and vegetable producers need assurances now that they should plant with confidence that in the event of a labour or supply chain issue caused by COVID-19, that they are not risking their farms,” he said.“We want to avoid situations where Canadian growers are forced to conclude that the economic and other risks to continuing operations are just too great. Canadians will be relying on our domestic growers more than ever – and more than ever our growers need meaningful safety nets behind them.”Any grower who needs to isolate workers due to an outbreak or has to scale-back, shut down or curtail operations temporarily during the pandemic should be eligible for full government support.For several years, the horticulture sector has requested a financial protection tool for produce growers and sellers, he said. The industry was prosperous enough during the last few years, “which has deterred the government from taking a serious look at this issue.”During the next couple of years, horticulture will experience bankruptcies due to the pandemic because it has no financial protection, he said. “In addition to domestic protections, Canadian produce sellers are now even more at risk when selling to our major trading partner, the United States.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.