GFO alarmed by proposed regulations

Grain Farmers of Ontario is raising alarms about a proposed regulation that would make it harder for farmers to deliver corn if they have cleared any forest or wetland in the last 12 years.

It would also apply to land that is deemed important for biodiversity.

Markus Haerle, head of Grain Farmers of Ontario, said it could hit up to 90 per cent of the province’s farmers.

The government argues that converting land to crop production increases greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers would apparently need certification to qualify to market corn into any channel that includes ethanol plants as customers.

The challenge increases because it would be difficult for farmers to segregate corn grown on converted land from the rest of their harvest, and it would likewise be difficult for grain handlers to segregate corn grown on converted land.