New study on Soil Health in Canada is expected to be tabled in the next few months

This week is National Soil Conservation Week.

Over the last few months, the Senate Committee on Agriculture has been working on developing a new study on Soil Health in Canada.

Senator Robert Black says the committee toured the country to get a first-hand look at the situation, meeting with various scientists, producers, organizations and researchers to get an understanding of what's been happening.

The committee heard from 153 witnesses over the course of approximately 18 months and received 72 briefs from interested parties and individuals.

He says the report is currently being written and is expected to contain a number of recommendations based on the information they gathered.

An earlier report, tabled in the Senate about 40 years ago had about 29 or 30 recommendations, one of which resulted in the creation of the Soil Conservation Association of Canada in 1987.

Black says one thing they heard throughout this process was that there was not enough sharing of information or data amongst experts across the country.

"You know, there's lots of good things happening in Atlantic Canada, in Western Canada, Saskatchewan, Manitoba,  and Alberta. We've heard from our witnesses that there's not a lot of sharing. There's not a repository where all that data is. So I expect not knowing what the final report will look like completely, I expect there likely is to be a recommendation that there should be some sort of a repository and a sharing of information going forward."

The new study on Soil Health in Canada report will be reviewed by the Committee on Agriculture and tabled in the Senate probably in late May or early June, before it moves to Parliament and the Federal Government for review.