Farmscape for May 3, 2018

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan welcomes the Saskatchewan Government's court challenge of the federal government’s authority to impose a carbon tax on the province.
The Saskatchewan Government has filed a constitutional reference case in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to challenge the federal government's authority to impose a carbon tax on the provinces.
Todd Lewis, the President of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, says there are better alternatives to a carbon tax.

Clip-Todd Lewis-Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan:
We have been decreasing our carbon footprint.
There are some tax incentives.
Accelerated capital cost allowance, one of the consequences of that could end up with newer engines, more emission free engines on farms.
That might be on thing the government could do to get emissions down but, as far as our cropping practices and feeding practices and pasture management and things like that, producers have done that and continue to do it.
Things like cross fencing for instance in the cattle sector has been very effective for pasture management and is good for carbon footprint as well.
The more grass you have the more carbon that's sequestered in the soils.
The big piece that we see as an advantage, if we go with an offset program, that recognition of what agriculture has been doing and continues to do would help the entire country meet our climate goals and commitments internationally.
Canada needs offsets from agriculture to meet their targets so that's a far better program.
It's not necessarily about getting money out of the system.
If that works, if there is a market that we can trade credits on that's fine but if not certainly the offsets can help the country get to our climate goals that we've signed on to.

Lewis says no one likes to see tax dollars being spent on lawsuits but, win or lose, the challenge will provide some clarity.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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