Thank you.
I'm Keith Currie. I'm the first vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. We represent some 200,000 farmers, ranchers and farm families nationwide. I'm joined by Frank Annau, our director of environment and science policy.
We appreciate this opportunity to discuss how to continue the hard work of farmers on reducing emissions and improving soil health. Producers are stewards of the land, and manage significant carbon sinks that play a key role in soil health and the fight against climate change.
These sinks are maintained by a number of farm-driven practices that regenerate soil organic matter, which in turn improves carbon sequestration and long-term carbon storage in agricultural soils. These practices are wide ranging, but can include intercropping, cover cropping and rotational grazing, all of which are eligible for funding under the on-farm climate action fund.
With Canada being as large and as vast as it is, the success of these approaches can vary by region, and it is critical that initiatives, such as living laboratories, expand to western Canada, so that innovations in soil health can be refined in areas hit hard by recent flooding and drought.
Farmers are also well versed on the environmental and cost reduction benefits of efficiently managing critical inputs, such as fertilizers, fuels and pest control products.
As you may be aware, industry-led approaches, such as 4R nutrient stewardship, help producers select the right source of fertilizer to apply the right amount in the right place at the right time.
Research shows that correct implementation of this protocol results in a 15%-25% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions. These efforts can be greatly enhanced by precision agricultural technology, such as crop and soil sensors, that optimize the rate of fertilizer, pesticide and weed control application. This, combined with practices that regenerate soil organic matter, help prevent our overapplication of inputs, which protects soil biodiversity and improves soil health.
Precision ag technology also significantly improves fuel efficiency by using fleet analytics and auto-guidance systems, which reduces the number of passes needed for sprayers, tillage and harvesters. One U.S. study found that this would decrease fuel use by up to 6%, which is the equivalent of 18,000 flights. The same study stated that this fuel use could decrease a further 16% with a broader adoption of this technology.
In Canada, there are a number of barriers to this adoption, including the lack of reliable rural broadband Internet needed to run the equipment, and the fact that adoption rates drop significantly on farms that are under 500 acres in size, or that have an annual income of under $75,000. As such, it is recommended that government prioritize rural Internet and scaling down this technology in order to realize those fuel efficiencies.
With respect to greenhouse gas reduction, the largest cattle methane reduction study was concluded in Alberta in 2020. It showed that methane emissions per cattle could be reduced by 30%-80% by including an additive call 3-NOP in different combinations of feed. The additive was developed by DSM technologies, which has applied for registration in various countries to bring the product to market in 2022.
Unfortunately, here at home, the product may not be on the market for years, because Health Canada has classified it as a veterinary drug. This puts livestock sustainability efforts in Canada behind countries that have registered the product as animal feed, including EU countries, China and Brazil. We recommend the government follow suit with our trade partners and competitors by ensuring 3-NOP reaches Canadian markets as soon as possible.
All of these solutions, while effective, come at a significant investment and cost to farmers. It is therefore essential that we ensure they have the cash in hand to invest in solutions, and participate in government cost-sharing where available. The cash is being significantly reduced by record high costs for inputs, such as fuel and fertilizer, brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These events put greater pressure on Canadian farmers to produce more than ever before to mitigate impacts from a world food shortage brought on by the war. We must ensure farmers have cash resources to rise to this occasion, and to do it sustainably.
The price on carbon acts as a market incentive to switch to lower-emission fuels and improve fuel efficiency. This signal is dwarfed by the blaring alarm of current gas prices. While gas and diesel are exempt from carbon surcharges on farm, natural gas and propane used for grain dryers and livestock heating and cooling systems are not. These activities are critical to mitigating severe climate impacts, such as extreme rainfall and drought.
We therefore recommend support for House Bill C-234. Removing the carbon price on these fuels will provide farms with additional cash to invest in the input efficiency needed to respond to record input prices and help Canadian farmers feed the world.
We thank you for your attention.