The federal government is set to increase the carbon tax to $170/tonne by 2030 with the intent to reduce GHG emissions.

This tax not only puts the viability of Saskatchewan farms at risk but actually taxes the SOLUTION to climate change.

A thread… 1/

The Ag sector has made major improvements to farming practices for decades.

SaskCanola has supported research to demonstrate the positive impact of modern Ag on soil health & the environment.

One such report is found here: https://ssca.ca/images/projects/PSCB_Report_-_Feb_23_2020.pdf. @SK_Soil 2/

High soil carbon is an indicator of soil health & a measure of CO2 removed from the atmosphere. The above long-term study assessed thousands of soil samples over a 15-year period on farms across Saskatchewan.

It found that soil carbon is INCREASING. 3/

This means that changes to modern farming practices (like the adoption of min-till or zero-till direct seeding) have substantially REDUCED GHG levels. 4/

As of 2011, 23 MILLION ACRES of farmland in Saskatchewan have been farmed using direct seeding practices. This has resulted in 8.75 million NEW tons of CO2 being sequestered EVERY YEAR.

That is the equivalent of taking 1.83 million cars off the road. 5/

The research also found that soil carbon sequestration does NOT decline over time as previously thought. Instead, carbon continues to accumulate at a high rate deeper into the soil year after year. This finding is significant because... 6/

…maintaining and increasing soil sinks that sequester large amounts of GHGs is one of the most important long-term solutions to climate change identified by the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. 7/

Saskatchewan canola producers are part of the climate change solution. The food that farmers produce is a major contributor to Canadian exports, the economy AND an effective strategy for sequestering carbon and removing GHGs from the atmosphere. 8/

In farming, the challenge is that profits are narrow with capital tied up in land, equipment & other investments. Any increase to the cost of production directly affects farmers ability to have a profitable business & provide Canadians & others around the world with food. 9/

The carbon tax is having a negative impact on farm businesses & farmers’ ability to care for our environment. It significantly increases ALL costs associated with growing food including fuel costs to run equipment, energy for drying grain, costs of crop inputs & much more. 10/

SaskCanola believes that the federal carbon tax is taxing the solution to climate change. Ultimately, it will have the opposite of its intended effect and inhibit the Ag sector’s ability to contribute to improving the environment by driving farms out of business. End/