'We use fertilizer for a reason': Poilievre pledges to fight plan to reduce emissions

Local farm organizations met in Regina on Thursday to express concern over the federal government’s plan to reduce fertilizer emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

Saskatchewan farmer, Todd Lewis is one of many who is worried about the proposed goal of cutting fertilizer use.

“That might be one way of getting emissions down but at the same time, we would see a drastic drop in yield and there has to be a real balancing act between emissions and food production,” he said.

Conservative Agriculture Critic, Jon Barlow, chaired the meeting of farm groups in Regina.

“The impact of this is on every single Canadian. Grocery prices will go up. The price of commodities will go up,” he said.

Conservative party leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre pledged to fight that plan when he toured rural Saskatchewan this week. He said the federal proposal to limit emissions is a major concern.

“The federal government has attacked Saskatchewan’s farmers, its energy workers, and they’ve had enough, they want to take back control of their lives and continue to produce honest working people to continue to produce energy and food for our nation,” he said.

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Farm organizations said the plan would reduce crop production at a time when the world is facing a potential food shortage, a sentiment that Poilievre echoed.

“We use fertilizer for a reason, it increases the food output, it allows us to feed more people at a lower price on less land,” he said. “If you cut that fertilizer use dramatically, arbitrarily, without backing of science, and the farmers who know their craft, then we’re going to have more expensive food and more of it is going to come from foreign, more polluting farms way outside of Canada.”

The plan comes in response to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food’s 2021 Mandate Letter targeting support for farmers to develop and adopt practices that reduce emissions, among other initiatives.

“We are continuing to support the development and adoption of practices and equipment that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the sector’s climate change resiliency,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said, in a news release when the plan was announced in July.

The federal government said it will consult with “farmers, producers, processors, Indigenous communities, women in agriculture, youth, environmental organizations, small and emerging sectors as well as other key stakeholders and partners” on the plan.

So far, there is little agreement from farmers. It could take considerable discussion to come up with an emissions reduction strategy that is agreeable to both sides.