Grain Farmers of Ontario is calling on Members of Parliament to vote in favour of Bill C-206: An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act.
The House of Commons held its final hour of debate at third reading on Bill C-206 on Monday.
Today, Parliamentarians will vote on whether the Bill clears the House of Commons and moves on to the Senate.
The Bill exempts on-farm grain drying from the federal carbon pricing system and is a good first step in ensuring that food production is not taxed at the farm level. Currently fuel used to dry grain is subjected to carbon pricing, despite the necessity of drying grain to make it usable for food and other products.
GFO Chair Brendan Byrne says the production of food should not be political. Adding it makes sense to remove the carbon price on grain drying as there is no alternative for farmers.
Grain Farmers of Ontario has calculated the federal carbon price, which is increasing every year, will cost an average farm an additional $29 to $46 per acre in direct drying costs by 2030.
On an average 800-acre corn farm, that’s an increased cost of operations of between $23,200 and $36,800.
