For the fifth year in a row, a survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says government rules and paperwork hits farmers harder than small business owners in other sectors. According to the organization, 76 per cent of farmers say red tape is a serious concern for their business, while 69 per cent of businesses in other sectors feel this way.

"When it comes to small business owners, what they see as red tape is bad customer service from government departments, complicated and confusing forms, sometimes two different departments asking for the same piece of information. It's those types of regulatory issues that take up time and money from a small business owner that really doesn't add any value to the general public," says CFIB's Manitoba director of provincial affairs Elliot Sims.

Sims says they don't consider all government regulations as red tape, but thinks the reality is agriculture faces more regulatory hurdles than other sectors.

"On top of your regular business issues with things like Canada Revenue Agency and Statistics Canada, you have the CFIA to deal with, you have all sorts of provincial legislation not only in the ag department, but also when it comes to trucking grain or land modifications such as drainage or tiling, all these things add layers and layers of bureaucracy onto issues that should be fairly clear cut," Sims says.

Sims says they want government to reduce red tape by consulting with farmers and business owners to make sure regulations are simple and easy to follow.

"Right now it costs Manitoban small businesses $1.2 billion a year to comply with regulations, and about 30 per cent of that is red tape — or $400 million," Sims says. "Can you imagine what we could do with that $400 million if entrepreneurs could put it into investments in their products, investments in their employees, and paying more attention to what their customers want?"

Sims says an example of red tape in agriculture is the mandatory census which happens every five years. This year, the government of Canada has moved the survey online, saying it will be faster to complete than in previous years. While Sims says CFIB is happy to see this change, the census still takes place during seeding time in the spring, in which most farmers are already busy in the field.