Thread by @cosminDZS

#EXCLUSIVE: On cutting agricultural emissions, the Liberal government considered following in the footsteps of the European Union which has required member states to cut fertilizer use by 20% and reduce farmland by 10%. #cdnpol
tnc.news/2023/02/01/ott…

Europe's "Farm to Fork Strategy" recently prompted the Dutch government's ambitious plan to cut nitrogen emission by a whopping 50$ via a €7.5 billion farm buyout scheme.

The move has led to widespread protests, tractor convoys and farmers clashing with authorities.

A copy of a speech delivered by Agriculture Minister Marie Claude-Bibeau to European counterparts described Canada’s emission reduction measures as “very closely aligned with the fertilizer reduction target in the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy.”

A key thing to note is that the federal government has maintained that it isn't mandating a fertilizer reduction but repeated comments such as these have prompted concerns from farmers and the fertilizer industry.

About a year after the voluntary federal target was first announced, the industry group Fertilizer Canada raised their concerns that Ottawa would follow in the footsteps of the EU, demanding that "the approach taken in Europe is not duplicated" in Canada.

Fertilizer Canada also cited "closed-door meetings" with the government where the possibility of taking the EU approach was considered.

The group also quoted deputy minister of agriculture Chris Forber allegedly saying that the imperative was to "reduce fertilizer use."

As True North reported in the first part of this series, the government has considered more forceful regulatory measures as future “policy options” should the current voluntary approach fail.

tnc.news/2023/01/30/con…

Soon after the email exchange Fertilizer Canada released a report it commissioned showing how the Canadian agriculture sector would lose billions each year should the EU approach be taken.

"It is estimated that by 2030 most Canadian exports of canola will not exist," it read.

After catching wind of the report’s release in the fall of 2021, senior Agriculture Canada officials were already rallying their troops to run a tight media operation and “develop responsive media lines."

Instead of addressing the concerns expressed by Fertilizer Canada and others, the controlled media line continued for months as a Nov. 4 2021 email from senior communications advisor stated.

“We’ll need to make sure there are 2-3 tough Qs on environment in the Q&A ."

This is the final part of the Fertilizer Files a three-part series on what internal government documents show about the Trudeau Liberals’ push to reduce fertilizer emissions.

You can read part two here: tnc.news/2023/01/31/har…

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