Agriculture committee  Agreed.

Agriculture committee  Crops absorb carbon dioxide from the air. That's a very important point, because it's photosynthesis that limits the carbon that's available to build the carbon in the soil. It's only when the carbon is sequestered in the soil that it's considered taken out long enough, because everything that crops produce eventually gets consumed by a cow, or by people and is transferred back to CO2.

Agriculture committee  Mr. Falk, to answer that question of whether we account for it now, the Canadian national inventory currently counts for some carbon sequestration, particularly in western Canada soils. What it does not count is farmer activities that may have an influence. Known activities, like the use of nitrification inhibitors, are not reflected in the national inventory.

Agriculture committee  Certainly the 4R program is relevant to nutrient losses that may impact water quality. I've been involved very intensely for almost 10 years now with Lake Erie and the issues of recurring algal blooms in the western basin of the lake, which occur from agriculture from both the U.S. and Canada.

Agriculture committee  I think it's important to recognize that the increase in fertilizer use has been commensurate with the increase in crop production, particularly on the Prairies, and in that shift in production, canola now comprises a greater proportion of Canada's crop production. Also, the total production from the Prairies has increased more than it has in eastern Canada.