PRB 06-17E

Glossary of Agricultural Programs, Acts and Terms

Frédéric Forge
Science and Technology Division

30 June 2006

PDF (678 kB, 76 pages)

Disclaimer

Contents

• Introduction
• How to use this Glossary
• Glossary
• Index of terms by category

Introduction

Agricultural and agri food production relies on numerous disciplines – earth sciences, biology, economics, law and many others. Its impact extends to virtually all aspects of the activities of a country – health, the environment, manufacturing development, rural development, international trade, transportation and so on.

It is therefore not surprising that agriculture is the subject of many international programs, policies and commitments. From these has emerged a specific vocabulary, on which Parliament must often rely to facilitate a common understanding in the field. This glossary has been prepared for parliamentarians, their staff and others interested in the development of policies directly or indirectly concerning agriculture at the federal level.

How to use this Glossary

The terms below have been selected giving priority to the Canadian context and to national and international issues since the late 1990s. In addition to defining terms and expressions that have particular meaning in agriculture, the glossary contains explanatory notes on various programs (new and old), legislation and organizations of interest to parliamentarians.

The definitions are explanatory. They carry no legal weight and are not intended as a reference in the disciplines they concern. Acts, regulations, international agreements and other official instruments are the sources for the definitions of the terms used by the Government of Canada.

The following conventions are used in this glossary:

• Terms are presented in alphabetical order, followed by their equivalent in the other official language (where one exists).
• An index of terms by category is provided to help find a similar expression, if the desired term does not appear in the alphabetical list.
• Most of the acts and programs are entered in alphabetical order of the first word designating the nature or purpose of the program or act. For example, to find “import duty” consult the entry “Duty, import.”
• The explanatory texts may contain underlined words, indicating terms defined elsewhere in the glossary (to which the reader may refer for additional information).
• Other features of the reference system are as follows:
  
  • Acronym entries provide the full name of the term in question and refer the reader to that entry.
  • The notation “See:” followed by an entry refers the reader to the entry under which the term is defined.
  • The notation “See also:” followed by an entry refers the reader to a second entry closely related to the first (e.g., a logical category of the term, as in the case of “pesticide” and “herbicide,” etc.).
  • The notation “Compare:” followed by an entry refers the reader to a second entry, the meaning of which differs in some respect from that of the first.
  • The notation “Synonym:” followed by an entry refers the reader to a second entry that is synonymous or virtually synonymous with the first.