Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet shuffle last week included a change in agriculture.

Marie Claude Bibeau is out as federal Ag minister, replaced by Lawrence MacAulay.

Foothills MP and Conservative Ag Critic, John Barlow says MacAulay has already been in agriculture once before and didn't defend producers so he's disappointed.

"Lawrence MacAulay was the agriculture minister in 2015 when Mr. Trudeau first won government, and this is the agriculture minister who told me in Question Period he's talked to lots of farmers, and they all support the carbon tax. Well, it's very clear that Mr. MacAulay has never actually talked to any farmers because I haven't talked to a single one that thinks that the carbon tax has been a benefit to Canadian agriculture and a farmer's bottom line," Barlow says.

He says MacAulay failed to stand up for ag producers during his first term as minister while big decisions were made, whether it was the ban on P.E.I. potatoes, which Barlow points out is MacAulay's home province, the carbon tax, or warning labels on Canadian food products.

He says producers need a strong advocate who's going to defend them and make sure decisions are made on sound science and not ideology and Barlow doesn't see MacAulay filling that role.

Barlow says MacAulay's return shows that agriculture remains a low priority for the federal government.

Environment and Climate Change minister Steven Guilbeault stays put, which Barlow says is staggeringly tone deaf.

"This is not a good move for Alberta, this is the minister who is tripling the carbon tax, who's introduced a second carbon tax on July 1st and the consequences of this are staggering and the fact that they don't even notice, this is going to be a good adversary for the Alberta government here, who I think is doing a phenomenal job standing up for Alberta's interest.

I talked to a farm in my riding just a week and a half ago and their energy bill, a typical month was $9,000 a month, a big operation, now it's $27,000 a month, how is that going to keep them economically viable?"

He's heard from many other producers for whom the carbon tax is higher than the actual amount for the gas they use.

"It's one thing to talk about environmental sustainability but if we're not talking about economic viability of these farms, that is a problem and that has a direct consequence on what Canadians are paying at the grocery stores."

Barlow was in New Brunswick recently talking to potato farmers who said their costs have risen 37 per cent and that gets passed on to consumers.

He says when one-in-five Canadians are skipping meals and 8-million Canadians are using food banks every month it's unacceptable in a country like ours.