1. Introduction
2. Setting the stage for a new approach
3. Principles for Environmental Sustainability
4. The Issues:
1. Energy
2. Wild Species and Spaces
3. Oceans
4. Water
5. Food and Agriculture
6. Human Health and Toxic Chemicals
7. Economic Signals
5. Conclusion

The Full Report

The Issues: Food and Agriculture

Apples from Chile, lamb from New Zealand, and individually plastic-wrapped peppers from Israel. Globalized agribusiness provides expanded food choices, but also brings with it a big helping of greenhouse gas emissions with every meal.

Industrial agricultural relies on energy-intensive fertilizers and pesticides, often requires long-distance shipping and uses tremendous amounts of water for irrigation. Similarly, intensive livestock operations produce large quantities of greenhouse gases, including methane from livestock and waste, and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption.

Meanwhile, the use of pesticides in Canada is growing rapidly and three-quarters of Canadian croplands are now treated with pesticides. At least 60 pesticides approved for use in Canada have been banned elsewhere because of health and environmental concerns.

Today, agricultural operations are increasingly producing both food and energy products. With growing use of corn and sugar cane to produce ethanol, prices for these basic food staples are already rising and shortages loom. However, current ethanol production practices actually produce only marginal net gains in energy. Cellulosic ethanol using agricultural waste products or crops like switchgrass shows more promise, but demand for raw materials and the resulting impact on soils and waters will need to be carefully managed.

To reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, the federal government should encourage consumption of locally produced foods, particularly organically grown food that does not require energy-intensive fertilizers and pesticides. One of the simplest ways to support local agriculture is to vigorously support the supply-management system in place for dairy products, eggs, chicken and turkey in international trade negotiations.

Pesticides banned in other OECD countries should be phased out. The federal government should also implement mandatory labelling policies that include comprehensive nutritional information, country of origin, fair-trade, organic standards and genetic modification information.

Canada's Food and Agriculture Action Agenda:

• Immediately begin a phase-out of pesticides already banned in other OECD countries.
• Support Canada's supply-management system for dairy products, eggs, chicken and turkey in international trade negotiations.
• By 2010, implement mandatory labelling policies that include comprehensive nutritional information, country of origin, fair-trade, organic standards and genetic modification content. And amend Canada's Food Guide to provide information about the climate impacts of food choices.
• By 2012, implement a comprehensive program to encourage organic agriculture, the production and consumption of locally produced foods, and to educate Canadians on the health advantages of low-meat diets.

For further information:

• Greenpeace (2008) Cool Farming: Climate impacts of agriculture and mitigation potential.
• David Suzuki Foundation (2004) Sustainability within a Generation: A New Vision for Canada

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