Farmers are greener than ever

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2002

(ACROSS CANADA) - Canadian agricultural producers are trumpeting their incredible environmental achievements as the country celebrates Environment Week.

“When it comes to adopting environmentally sound business practices, Canadian agriculture is a national, probably even a global leader,” said Bob Friesen, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. “I would challenge any other industry in this country to match the green initiatives of our farmers.”

Some facts about environmentally-friendly farming in Canada*:

• Farmers are continuing to adopt environmentally friendly tillage practices. 60% of the land is now under some sort of conservation tillage - this is double what it was in 1991. Conservation tillage not only improves soil structure, reduces erosion but it also decreases the amount of greenhouse gas emissions since the farmer makes fewer passes in the field with a tractor which emits carbon dioxide.
• There has been a total reduction in the number of farms using herbicide and pesticides by 36% from 1995 to 2000. Also in 2000 there were 1.7 million acres less treated with insecticides then in 1995. Farmers are adopting alternative ways to combat pest problems by using an integrating pest management approach which encourages the use of non-chemicals methods, like crop rotations, biological controls etc. Producers are also using newer, reduced risk pest control products when available to lessen the environmental impact.
• Many provinces have implemented an on-farm environmental planning process to help producers understand and manage the environmental effect of their operation.
• Producers also use specific tools like nutrient management plans (where they test the nutrient content of manure, and nutrient content of soil to determine what they can spread on the field), and other best management practices to mitigate the environmental impact. *data is from Statistics Canada’s 2001 Census of Agriculture

“Canadian consumers today demand more than just high quality, safe food. They want to know that their food has been produced in a way that respects the environment in which we live,” said Friesen. “Canadian producers understand that. They are adapting their farming practices daily to incorporate the latest environmentally sound methods.”

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Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.

Contact:

Kieran Green, CFA Communications Coordinator, (613) 236-3633, info@cfafca.ca

Nicole Howe, CFA Environmental Policy Analyst(613) 236-3633, nicole@cfafca.ca