Grain Farmers of Ontario Calls on Parliament to Show Farmer Support and Pass Bill C-206
GUELPH, ON (May 13, 2021) – Grain Farmers of Ontario, the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers, welcomes the expeditious study of the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada’s Committee of the House of Commons of Bill C-206: An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (qualifying farming fuel). The Committee presented its study to the House of Commons yesterday.
The organization urges all parliamentarians in both the House of Commons and the Senate to come together and pass this Bill quickly as a first step in easing the undue tax burden placed on grain drying — a vital part of the process of producing viable grain for food and more.
“There is no valid reason for carbon tax on grain drying to exist in Canada, a nation that relies on its food system for one in eight jobs. Passing Bill C-206 is a good first step in righting this oversight and we ask all MPs and the Senate to pass this bill quickly,” said Brendan Byrne, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario.
The Bill, when passed, will exempt the carbon tax on fuel used for on-farm grain drying, which is absolutely necessary for the production of grain used in food and other products. Grain Farmers of Ontario has calculated the Carbon Tax, which is increasing every year, will cost an average farm an additional $46 per acre in direct drying costs by 2030. On an average 800-acre farm, that’s an increased cost of operations of $36,800.
Grain Farmers of Ontario continues to wait for details from the Federal Government‘s commitment to return a portion of the proceeds from the price on pollution directly to farmers. This decision was announced in Budget 2021.
“There is more work ahead. We are keen on continuing to work with the government to ensure that rebates are delivered in a way that is equitable and administratively simple. We will also work with government to develop practical alternatives or to further their understanding of current grain-drying practices in Ontario,” said Byrne.
Ontario grain farmers are consistently looking for ways to better their environmental impacts including, reduced tillage, cover cropping, and crop rotation.
Over the last 30 years, grain farmers in Ontario have:
• Reduced their climate impact by 45 percent (corn production)
• Reduced climate impact by 36 percent (wheat production
• Increased land use efficiency by 39 percent (corn production)
• Increased land efficiency by 37 percent (wheat production)
• Reduced energy use by 43 percent (corn production)
• Reduced energy use by 37 percent (wheat production)
Learn more about Grain Farmers of Ontario sustainability initiatives here.
Contact:
Victoria Berry, Manager, Communications – 226 820-6641; vberry@gfo.ca
Brendan Byrne, Chair – 519 992-4027; gfobrendan@gmail.com
