A Government of Canada report from December 2020 continues to be a heated topic of discussion for farmers, due to its stated goal to lower fertilizer emissions by 30.

"(This plan will) set a national emission reduction target of 30% below 2020 levels from fertilizers and work with fertilizer manufacturers, farmers, provinces and territories, to develop an approach to meet it," reads the report.

This caused concern for farmers and the agriculture community, as a potential reduction in fertilizer could mean less crops, which would mean less profits for farmers and higher grocery costs. However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke at the recent Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) annual meeting and explained farmers are not required to participate.

"I was at a town hall in Langley, B.C, where Cade (a farmer) asked me why we were mandating a 30% reduction in fertilizer. I want to be as clear with you as I was with him: we are consulting with farmers in the industry about a voluntary, not mandatory, reduction in emissions from fertilizers, not in use of fertilizers."

"There's a lot of disinformation and misinformation you may be reading online that's adding to your worries."

Trudeau added the voluntary slashing of fertilizer emissions is one of several ways the federal government is trying to help both the environment and farmers, as he explained the government has supports in place to promote more efficient farming, which is both environmentally friendly and saves costs. 

"We're investing to help you adopt technologies and practices that are not just good for the environment, but also good for your bottom line."

"We've also provided funding to help farmers invest in clean technologies that reduce your energy costs, like helping farmers purchase more efficient grain dryers."

All political parties were present at the meeting, and they all spoke about being in favor of  Bill C-282, which would leave ag products out of any potential future tariff modifications in free trade deals.