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Although the government continues to maintain this will never mean a mandated reduction in fertilizer use, some farmers and farm groups are skeptical. | File photo As the woke wave continues to gain momentum, some worry it will have a tsunami impact on agriculture. The fears have merit. The most blatant example is European farm policy mandating less fertilizer, fewer crop protection products and more organic production. The measures are particularly severe in the Netherlands where agriculture is in a downward spiral with thousands of farms being expropriated. The Canadian issue sparking the most controversy is the 30 percent reduction target for fertilizer emissions. Although the government continues to maintain this will never mean a mandated reduction in fertilizer use, some farmers and farm groups are skeptical. The government used to promise that firearms would never be confiscated and look how that has evolved. Less obvious to the average producer is the switch in emphasis on government funding for research. Increasingly, research money is tied to projects tied to climate change mitigation. In the near future, farms with net sales of more than $1 million per year will have to complete an environmental farm plan to receive AgriInvest support. This isn’t totally unreasonable, but it seems like the thin edge of the wedge with climate change considered by the woke culture to be an emergency that requires all sorts of drastic action. I consider myself a moderate. I have no problem exploring ways to cut fertilizer emissions. That might be a win-win for fertilizer efficiency as well as the environment. However, like many others, I’ll be screaming loudly if this ever morphs into a mandated reduction in fertilizer use. I don’t even harbour a lot of resentment to the idea of needing an environmental farm plan to quality for some free annual money from the government. But I do worry about where the woke culture will carry government policy and how agriculture will be affected. The country’s energy policy is crazy. Why hamper the development of Canadian fossil fuels only to have them replaced by countries where human rights are trampled and the carbon footprint of extraction is much higher? The lack of logic in Canadian energy policy generates unease about agriculture policy in the years ahead. The only solution is an adjustment in government focus and that can likely be accomplished only through a change in the federal government. Will the woke culture prevail in the next federal election and re-elect the Trudeau Liberals or will those with a more pragmatic attitude prevail and elect a Conservative government? Are the Conservatives led by Pierre Poilievre too scary to make a breakthrough in Eastern Canada, which doesn’t have the same affinity for energy workers and agriculture? Quite possibly and without more seats in the highly populated urban centres, the Conservatives won’t form government. The far-right faction of the population, those who don’t support any climate initiatives and have all sorts of conspiracy theories on government overreach, are a gift to the woke movement. The Conservative Party is branded with these viewpoints by their political opponents. Elections are about many issues. Along with climate change mitigation, health care, the nation’s economy and the cost of living will all be in play. The Conservative pledge to end the carbon tax will need to also include a credible plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions in order to resonate with urban regions. What transpires politically in the next federal election seems destined to set the tone for agriculture for many years to come. Will common sense prevail over woke culture? Stay tuned. Kevin Hursh is an agricultural journalist, consultant and farmer. He can be reached by e-mail at kevin@hursh.ca.
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