Canada’s proposed fertilizer emissions reduction target questioned

Aug 18, 2022

MELFORT, Sask. — Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has announced the launch of additional consultations to guide the development of an approach to reduce fertilizer emissions by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030.

AAFC Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has said while the federal government wants to reduce emissions by the end of the decade it doesn’t mean Ottawa wants to see a 30 per cent reduction in the actual amount of fertilizer used on the land.

A well-know entrepreneur and agrologist is unsure about Ottawa’s final plan.

Rob Saik said the trust level between the Trudeau government and Western Canadian farmers is strained.

“Where did the 30 per cent number come from? I would like to know where the hell the number came from. Why not 25 per cent why not 20. Where did the number come from?” Saik said.

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.