By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday November 24, 2021

Nov 24, 2021 | 11:47 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – A new report has examined the impact of the federal carbon tax on Canada’s farmers and the price of food.

The University of Calgary School of Public Policy said Canada’s federal carbon tax currently applies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.

Farmers in these provinces lack consistency on the tax, which is being applied differently to agricultural fuels. They must navigate between distinct sets of rules depending on the type of fuels they’re using and what those fuels are used for.

Report author Sarah Dobson said some fuels are eligible to be fully exempt from the carbon tax, some may be allowed a partial exemption, and others may force farmers to face the full amount of the carbon tax.

“The most significant agricultural fuel sources facing the full amount of the carbon tax are natural gas and propane used for grain and oilseed drying and for the heating of barns and other farm buildings. The burden of these tax payments on farmers is unclear,” Dobson said.

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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reported the carbon tax cost estimate for grain and oilseed drying range from an average of $210 per farm in Alberta to $774 per farm in Saskatchewan. Individual farmers have reported carbon tax costs of up to $10,000.

The full report can be found here.

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CP Rail has reopened its main line to the Port of Vancouver while CN Rail is expected to be back in business sometime tomorrow.

Alberta Wheat released the update on the B.C. Rail situation late yesterday afternoon.

The lines will resume operations slowly starting with a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour as the repaired sections are monitored to ensure integrity and safety.

At this point, there is no date current set for the resumption of normal speeds.

Alberta Wheat also said that between CN and CP, there are approximately 5,000 rail cars sitting in the Vancouver corridor. In addition, a week’s worth of rail traffic is loaded and waiting to move west to the prairie region. Wheat exports through the Port of Prince Rupert have been able to continue during the outage. There 26 vessels lined up at Vancouver.

There is also concern the weather could create more problems with flooding and mudslides. Significant precipitation is expected tomorrow and again on Saturday.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW