Policies - Agriculture

Climate Friendly Agriculture — Expand Organic Agriculture — Factory Farm Ban — Ban on Genetically Modified Organisms — Increase Supply of Local Food

Agriculture – Climate Friendly Agriculture

Approved: 12 June 2021

Whereas:

Agriculture both contributes to but also suffers from climate change¹;
Increases in extreme weather events can lead to losses of crop productivity, endanger livestock, and pose dangerous working conditions for field workers. Climate change can also exacerbate disease pressures from pests and increase the competitive pressures of weeds on crops, all of which make it more challenging to produce food;
Climate-friendly agriculture can help mitigate emissions, reduce reliance on harmful chemicals, and support healthier communities;
Farms with healthy soils are more profitable, more sustainable, and have higher yields in floods and droughts—the kind of weather we can expect more of as our climate changes;
Manitoba’s agricultural activities contributing the most to climate pollution are fertilizers, fermentation from livestock digestive processes, and manure management;
Emissions from agriculture have increased significantly since 1990, primarily from the increased use of synthetic Nitrogen fertilizer;
Studies by soil scientist Rattan Lal have shown that improved agricultural and land management practices can bring the concentration of atmospheric CO2 down significantly and, when combined with elimination of fossil fuel burning, could significantly reduce climate change;
The Manitoba government has ignored the potential role of agriculture in reducing climate pollution and instead has promoted more Nitrogen fertilizer use and larger herd sizes with a subsequent increase in manure generation and GHG emissions;
Low nitrogen input agriculture can produce high yielding crops to feed Manitoba and for export, increasing the net farm income per hectare, allowing young and new farmers to make a fair living from farming;
Climate change contributes to the emergence and transmission of disease by disrupting the global ecosystem and causing disease-bearing species to relocate²;
A food production system based on less inputs and more farm families is more stable and resilient;
Climate change will have negative impacts on food security in Canada³;.
Lower income and Indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity^{4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9};
Grasslands and wetlands are effective carbon sinks¹⁰ and are under threat in Manitoba;
Wetlands contribute to the natural flood defence system and provide unequalled natural water filtration and retention capabilities; and
Grasslands and wetlands provide habitat to many beneficial insect, plant, and animal species;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

Climate friendly best management practices including agro-ecology, regenerative and organic production methods such as cover cropping, intercropping, green manure cropping, rotational grazing, pollinator protection, tree planting and wetland protection which reduce agricultural emissions and increase carbon sequestration with:

Awareness campaigns to increase farmer familiarity with climate friendly best management practices;
Public funding for research into climate friendly best management practices;
Public funding for agrologists to help farmers adopt climate friendly best management practices;
Public funding for demonstration farms using climate friendly best management practices;
Cost shared and Incentive programs to encourage the adoption of climate friendly best management practices;
Reduction in application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer;
Increase taxation of nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides;
Reduction in cattle and hog numbers in Manitoba;
The return of Manitoba crown lands and public lands to natural forest;
An end to tree and forest removal on public lands;
An end to wetland drainage;
Enhancing riparian buffer zones to improve nutrient runoff and improve water quality;
Improve nutrient management to improve the rate, method and timing of fertilizations; and
Establish windbreaks between crops;

Be it Further resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba would:

Cap subsidies to limit amounts going towards industrial-scale farms;
Set goals to achieve net zero emission agriculture within 20 years;
Integrate soil health goals into crop insurance and other incentive programs;
Remove barriers and provide incentives to pasture-based agriculture;
Promote renewable energy and energy efficiency on farms;
Create immediate incentives to protect native Manitoba grasslands; and
Place tougher restrictions on the drainage and disruption of wetlands, and provide funding and incentives for wetland reclamation and restoration projects.

References:

Agriculture – Expand Organic Agriculture

Approved: 12 June 2021

Clean food, free of chemicals, is vital to the health of consumers. The Green Party of Manitoba realise the importance and harm chemicals do in our environment.

Whereas:

The demand for organic food is increasing;
Organic farming offers a good economic opportunity;
Organic farming creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions;
Pesticides have damaging impacts on soil health and on waterways^{1, 2, 3};
Canada permits the use of certain dangerous pesticides that have been banned elsewhere⁴;
Pesticide use is inefficient; the vast majority of pesticide applied does not stick to the plants, instead running off into soil and water systems^{5, 6};
The use of herbicides has led to the rise of herbicide resistant weeds, including numerous weeds in Canada that have developed resistance to herbicide⁷;
Pesticide use has detrimental effects on terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity^{8, 9};
Pollinators such as bees are in rapid decline due to pesticide use, jeopardizing food production in Manitoba, Canada and globally¹⁰;
Pesticide use (especially neonicotinoids) has been identified as one of the significant causes of the rapidly declining pollinator population¹¹, jeopardizing food production^{12, 13};
Biodiversity and ecosystems are negatively impacted or destroyed by pesticides that provide critically important ecosystem services; such as the regulation of soil and water quality, pest control, pollination, and ecosystem resilience¹⁴; and
Organic farming supports human, animal and ecosystem health and well-being;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

Increased subsidies and incentives to organic farmers;
Cost sharing for the organic certification program and the annual inspection of organic producers;
Research into organic regenerative production systems;
Public funding for organic specific plant breeding;
Public funding for organic specific agrologists(organic instructors);
Training for farmers on best practice in organic farming, how to transition to organic farming and meeting certification standards;
Incentives for restaurants and institutions to support local organic farmers through local purchasing programs;
Mandated local organic programs for provincial government food purchasing;
Increasing inspections to prevent and eliminate fraud;
Encouraging conservation and enhancement of pollinator habitat;
Development of incentives and payments for ecosystem services from pollinators;
Ensuring participation and empowerment of diverse stakeholders, including rural and indigenous people, in determining pollination protection strategies; and
Enforcement against farmers fraudulently using the organic label without certification or breaching certification requirements.

References:

Agriculture – Factory Farm Ban

Approved: 12 June 2021

Whereas:

Medical research indicates that confined animal feeding operations are breeding grounds for harmful pathogens;
Factory farms and large feedlots cause the over-concentration of manure with the result of nutrient overloading and the pollution of waterways and lakes; and
Animal abuse occurs in factory farming;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

A ban on new, or the expansion of, factory farms and large feedlots;
The phasing out of subsidies for factory farms and large feedlots;
Strict regulations on the over-application of manure;
Strict odour control measures;
Strong Animal Welfare standards that ensure freedom from hunger, thirst, discomfort, injury and distress, and the freedom to express normal behaviours. The GPM would:

Ban intense confinement methods such as veal crates, inadequate gestation stalls, and battery cages;
Ban current cruel practices of slaughter including battery of piglets and the live maceration of chicks, and
Ban the cruel practice of forced moulting of egg-laying hens.

Introduction of an Animal Welfare Act to which would include protection from cruelty and neglect for farmed animals in all aspects of industrial animal agriculture including factory farms, feedlots, slaughterhouses, and transportation; and
Increasing regular independent inspections of farms to ensure adherence to animal welfare and environmental standards;

Be It Further Resolved:

The GPM strongly opposes Ag-Gag laws and would introduce a bill to protect ag industry whistleblowers.

Agriculture – Ban on Genetically Modified Organisms

Approved: 12 June 2021

Whereas:

Governments are under heavy industry pressure to approve the use of genetically modified Organism (GMO) crops and livestock;
GMO seed is expensive and allows the monopolization of the seed supply;
GMO crops are modified to depend on chemical use, leading to an increased amount of pesticides applied;
The public increasingly rejects the use of pesticides;
GMO versions of open pollinated crops contaminate non-GMO crops (e.g. Alfalfa and Canola);
GMO contamination has caused economic damage and eliminated export opportunities;
GMO Alfalfa is a threat to Manitoba’s seed and organic sectors;
GMO seed trials of unapproved varieties are conducted in secret in Manitoba and have the potential to contaminate neighbouring crops; and
Use of some GMO crops can have negative impacts on biodiversity, due to the use of broad-spectrum pesticides which have destroyed non-target organisms that provide habitat for multiple insect species, such as the monarch butterfly in North America;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

A complete and immediate ban on GMO Alfalfa sale or propagation in Manitoba;
A ban on any new GMO crop or livestock approvals for sale or use in Manitoba;
A ban on any GMO seed trials in Manitoba;
Clear product labelling (including all fruits and vegetables) so Manitoba consumers can make a choice between GMO and non-GMO products;
Best management practices to increase agricultural efficiency and productivity while at the same time reducing pesticide use; and
Focusing on using natural enemies of pests and crop rotations.

Agriculture – Increase Supply of Local Food

Approved: 12 June 2021

Food grown in distant locations has the potential for food safety issues at harvesting, processing, shipping, and distributing¹.

Whereas:

The global, just-in time food delivery system has been exposed as vulnerable to disruption;
The resilience and security of the food supply is a public health issue;
The demand for local food grown and processed in Manitoba is increasing;
Restrictive food processing regulations, lack of local food processors, and distribution costs are barriers to local food availability;
Food safety regulations have been developed for large factories with infrastructure requirements not suitable for small food processors;
Long-distance transport of animals for slaughter is inherently cruel and causes intense animal suffering;
Supporting local food will financially benefit local farmers and Manitoba’s economy;
Local production facilitates tracking the supply chain back to the point of origin to evaluate ecological practices²; and
Local food promotes a more stable food supply chain with less opportunity for disruption;

Be It Resolved

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

Incentive and subsidy programs to increase the availability and variety of food grown in Manitoba for local distribution;
Investment in small scale food processors( eg. mills, abattoirs, canneries, creameries);
Investment in food cooperatives to bring efficiency to local food distribution;
Developing small scale and on-farm specific food processing regulation; and
Local purchasing requirements for the provincial government

References: