AEAQ

The Association des Expositions Agricoles du Québec (AEAQ) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster the growth of its members throughout the Quebec province by exercising leadership and influence with government officials and partners in the agricultural sector.

In the coming years, the AEAQ aims to become an essential service and exchange centre, supporting the development of every agricultural exhibition in the Quebec province.

The association offers its members a variety of services and strives to become a meeting place where members can share their experiences and find strategies adapted to the evolving realities of their sector.

The AEAQ believes in the enduring value of these unique agricultural events, some of which are over a century old, and which continue to demonstrate a strong commitment to showcasing the agricultural world. Since its founding, the association has dedicated more than half a century to the promotion and development of the agricultural industry.

History of the Association

The Association des Expositions Agricoles du Québec (AEAQ) was founded in 1940 but dissolved the following year due to the war, which had made the existence of such events extremely precarious. From the early 1950s, a movement began to re-establish an association and relaunch agricultural fairs on a new footing.

In 1953, a very interesting brief on the financial precarity of exhibitions was approved by the Canadian Association for submission to the Federal Department of Agriculture. In addition to financial difficulties, the report highlighted the negative publicity surrounding exhibitions across Canada. For example, in its Fall 1954 issue, the Farm Quarterly published an article entitled “Are Shows Slipping?” The author, Charles R. Koch, emphasized several significant problems stemming from judging standards that seemed to encourage excessive preparation of animals. He particularly noted the classes of livestock breeding and marketing for slaughter animals.

To remedy this situation, Quebec’s agricultural exhibitions concluded that they urgently needed to unite to better fulfill their mission of improving agriculture, livestock trade, and the quality of agricultural machinery. To achieve this, it became essential to pool everyone’s experience and expertise. It was in this context that, on June 15, 1955, the founding meeting of the Quebec Association of Agricultural Exhibitions took place for the second time.

From the outset, the representative of the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Commissioner Labrecque, affirmed the necessity of forming an association. According to him, an exhibition could not be solely agricultural. It needed money to balance its accounts. Despite the government’s interest, he wished not to intervene at this level, deeming it essential to preserve the Association’s autonomy. J.-A. Ste-Marie, from the Sherbrooke Exhibition, was elected the Association’s first president.

Initially, 35 agricultural exhibitions covering the entire province of Quebec were members of the AEAQ. The first mandates of the leaders focused primarily on standardizing regulations and classes for the numerous livestock competitions, as well as developing appropriate health standards. Over the years, the number of member exhibitions has fluctuated: some have joined and others have left the association. Splits and expansions of agricultural societies/corporations have also played a role. In 1996, 40 exhibitions were represented within the Association.

Over the years, agricultural fairs have grown considerably. They are now major events in most of the regions where they take place. In this context, the AEAQ has become the central hub for all information concerning new requirements and regulations affecting exhibitions.

Contact us

If you would like to learn more or simply ask us a question, please visit our contact page: https://expoduquebec.com/nous-joindre.