“Right now, the emissions reduction target is voluntary, and it should stay that way,” said Corinne Pohlmann, Senior Vice-President of National Affairs at CFIB. “Requiring Canadian agri-businesses to reduce their use of nitrogen fertilizer would add another hurdle and have negative impacts on the industry that is already hard hit by skyrocketing input costs and supply chain delays.”
Almost two-thirds (60%) of businesses said a mandatory reduction would decrease the profitability of their agri-business, and 42% said it would be challenging as they have already reduced their nitrogen fertilizer use.
CFIB’s recent research also shows Canadian farmers have already adopted or plan to adopt best practices to manage or reduce nitrogen emissions. Some of these practices include conservation tillage (53%), annual soil testing for nitrogen (50%), and rotating in nitrogen-fixing crops (50%).
“Nitrogen fertilizer is an essential crop nutrient and an important input for Canadian farmers. Forcing them to reduce their use of fertilizer would result in decreased yield of their crop, less profitability and competitiveness. Given the current global challenges to food supply, now is not the time to add policies that threaten to reduce yields even further” said Taylor Brown, a policy analyst at CFIB. “The federal government should give farmers more autonomy and provide support if they want to voluntarily improve their nitrogen management and adopt better practices.”
CFIB has sent a submission letter on the fertilizer emissions reduction target to the federal government urging it to keep its target voluntary.
Source : Pembinavalley Online