​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Today more than ever, people are interested in where their food comes from and whether it was produced in a sustainable way. This means that demand is higher on canola farmers to demonstrate the sustainability of their farms to consumers. 

If farmers respond to this demand, they not only improve the sustainability of their farms, they improve the trust relationship between the farm and table.

CCGA’s policy development efforts in sustainability currently focus on the following:

Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC)

CCGA is a founding member of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC)​, a national initiative dedicated to advancing sustainable production practices and outcomes across Canada’s grain sector. CCGA participates in roundtable meetings to ensure that sustainability is improving and that the good news story of canola farmers is being told.​

AAFC's Sustainable Agriculture Strategy ​

In December 2022, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) released its consultation on the development of a Sustainable Agriculture Strategy (SAS). According to AAFC, the SAS aims to set a shared direction for collective action to improve environmental performance in the sector over the long-term, support farmers' livelihoods, and strengthen the business vitality of the Canadian agricultural industry. 

CCGA continues to bring the farmer perspective to this conversation and has been an active participant throughout the consultation. CCGA provided feedback on AAFC's discussion document, participates in stakeholder meetings, and is a member of the SAS-Advisory Committee. 

Through these avenues, CCGA has stressed how farm profitability must be central to discussions on environmental improvements, the need for improved data and data coordination that respects farmers' privacy, as well as the importance of recognizing canola farmers for the sustainability of their farms to date. Additional recommendations must focus on the need for incentives to support farmer investments in new practices and innovations that benefit both productivity and the environment.

CCGA's continued engagement will focus on finding ways to increase yield and farmer competitiveness while improving environmental outcomes.

Read our detailed submission for more information.​

AAFC's Fertilizer Emission Reduction Target​

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) fertilizer emission reduction discussion document set a target of reducing emissions from the application of fertilizer by 30% below 2020 emissions by 2030. CCGA understands the importance of fertilizer for canola farmers and has participated in the consultation process to date to ensure canola farmers' voices are being heard. 

Throughout the consultation, CCGA highlighted the need to keep the target voluntary and focus on emissi​ons intensity, not absolute emissions, as farmers and the industry are focused on increasing production. CCGA also focused on the need for significant improvements to be made to fertilizer emission modelling and data.  

Read more in our submission.

Bees and Canola

Canola provides honeybees with the ideal habitat and food source, while honeybees can help improve canola production. Canola farmers work hard to maintain this mutually beneficial relationship between plant and pollinator and can work closely with honey producers to ensure both industries thrive. Learn more about this sweet relationship here. ​

Want to know more?

• Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (Feb 2014) – Past President Todd Hames discusses the importance of bees and bee health.