Agriculture committee  This has been a critical issue in discussions about implementing a global greenhouse gas system. Obviously, parts of the developing world have been more forward in taking on the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas. For industries like fertilizer—and there are many other industries that face this issue as well—everyone has to compete in the same global marketplace.

Agriculture committee  I think that our industry is a global industry. Fertilizer moves around the world. It's produced from India to China to Australia, Europe, and Russia. There is a whole host of countries involved in production of fertilizer. Over the long term, any solution for greenhouse gas has to be a global solution.

Agriculture committee  Good morning. Fertilizer is a globally traded group of commodity products. Production locations are based on proximity to raw materials such as natural gas and mineral deposits, access to water and rail transportation and to markets. Fertilizer is the most important crop input.

Agriculture committee  They're indexes, based on the currency in each country.

Agriculture committee  Absolutely.

Agriculture committee  If you just state when you would like to have it, we'll get it to you by that date.

Agriculture committee  Yes. We have gone to the George Morris Centre to take a look at the market conditions and to make some recommendations about things that farmers can do in order to better ensure that they have value from their fertilizer dollar. There are management tools that farmers can take advantage of, such as some opportunities for hedging; there are better techniques for negotiating with dealers.

Agriculture committee  I would like to react, since you pointed to it, to the point Mr. Miller made. He was questioning the ability of farmers in some of these developing countries to purchase fertilizer. They have the means to do it ,and increasingly they are very aggressive in the marketplace. I was at an international conference last week where there was quite a bit of discussion about the way agriculture is working in some of these developing countries.

Agriculture committee  I would just say that Canada does have a very competitive fertilizer market. Not only do we have many large fertilizer companies in Canada, but there are many companies that are importing fertilizer products into Canada. I would point out that when Keystone Agricultural Producers did their report on Canada-U.S. prices and submitted that to the Competition Bureau, it was Keystone Agricultural Producers that said that the Competition Bureau said there was no need to investigate.

Agriculture committee  We're echoing what some of the farm groups said when they appeared before the committee earlier this year. In the years I've spent dealing with farmers, getting between farmers and their finances is a difficult thing. I think the arrangement they need is something that farmers should be sitting down and discussing with the government.

Agriculture committee  We've reviewed the KAP study. It was a very short-term study taken right before spring seeding, which is a very volatile period in the market. Farmers are trying to secure the last bit of fertilizer to put in their crops, so it's not the ideal time to buy fertilizer in most cases.

Agriculture committee  Good morning. At the Canadian Fertilizer Institute, we believe that farmers should work closely with their agri-retailers well in advance of seeding, to get the best value for their fertilizer dollar. Agri-retailers are the best source of information on the fertilizer market, but they need good, timely information from their farmer customers so that they can plan their purchase of fertilizer supplies.

Finance committee  I can't speak for how the government wants to achieve its aims. All I can say is that if the government comes to us and says there is a public priority and that priority is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we can look at our plants and our mines and we can say “These are the constraints we're operating under right now.

Finance committee  —and I would say that once that agreement is reached, if we come up with a plan whereby industry and government agree on levels of reductions that are feasible, doable, protect the competitiveness of industry, and would have real results for the environment, then I think industry and government are going to move forward.

Finance committee  The critical thing is to have an understanding between government and the people in the industries as to what is feasible, what could be done—