Agriculture committee  We have 12 different categories, and we have aligned them with what is required internationally and what is commonly considered to be sustainability. In terms of social responsibility, it includes worker safety and security but also the safety and security of the producer himself or herself, labour relations, working conditions such as minimum wage benefits and so on, and relationships with the community.

Agriculture committee  From the perspective of the market requirements and the sustainability requirements, the source is important only in how it's used. For example, for manure, there is more of an emphasis on storage because it just doesn't appear overnight or get used overnight, so there's a storage period.

Agriculture committee  I think in terms of sustainability, one of the things that climate change will do is change the meaning of sustainability and what the expectations are. From an individual farmer's perspective, they're dealing with the conditions they're facing right at the moment. Because they don't know exactly what the impacts are, they're focused on the current conditions, the current state of technology, the current markets, and what they're going to do this year, next year, and five years down the road.

Agriculture committee  Well I think in terms of the situation currently, the producers adapt to the needs of the market. One of the contributions we're trying to make is to let them know exactly what's required. For example, and my colleague talked about it, the adoption of tillage has benefits from an environmental perspective, but it also has benefits from a financial perspective.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. I think there are some things we have found during the last four years. One is the importance of dialogue. It's not evident that people talk to each other, or different organizations talk to each other. When you're trying to bridge the gap from the market all the way back to the producers, but also including civil society and environmental groups, which we're trying very hard to do, it takes time to generate that particular understanding.

Agriculture committee  Everybody that comes to our table, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops, has a commitment to enhancing environmental sustainability. That's a precondition for membership. We have every grain-producing organization in Canada and, as I said, the grain handlers, the retailers, etc.

Agriculture committee  Mr. Chair, thank you for the invitation to appear before you today. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops was formed in 2013 specifically as a means to proactively advance sustainability for the grains industry in Canada. The CRSC, which is what we call it for short, is member-based and has a broad scope of members.