Farmers should be given credit for their ongoing reductions of greenhouse gases, says federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief.
With many farmers having already switched to management techniques like zero tillage, delegates to the convention of Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities were concerned they might not get credit for environmental stewardship practices called for in the Kyoto protocol.
Speaking to SARM last week, Vanclief said other sectors will get credit for reducing emissions in future practices, but what is already being done in agriculture has not been addressed in discussions to date.
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“I feel strongly that whoever is doing it should get credit,” he said.
He told delegates of new federal money for renewal, innovation, research and food safety to react to a changing world.
Now that Saskatchewan has signed the agricultural policy framework, Vanclief said the province’s agriculture sector will have “the security it needs to grow and prosper and become an essential part of making Canada a world leader in food safety, food quality, environmental practices and innovation.”
Safety nets or risk management programs, are “a work in progress” that will evolve over time as needs change, said Vanclief.
“The programming gives producers the tools to move beyond crisis management to risk management and long-term stability and competitiveness,” he said.
Vanclief is confident the risk tools will be affordable, will ensure that beginning farmers can start with full coverage and will provide adequate coverage in the year following a poor crop year. He said production insurance will complement, not replace, what is now offered.
The four other elements of the framework – food safety, environmental protection, farm renewal, innovation and research – are also designed to help prosperity, profitability and stability.
“Our role is to help the sector to manage change and work it to its own advantage.”
Vanclief said he expected Saskatchewan’s annual share of the $120 million in federal framework funding will be $24 million.
