Develop agricultural methane strategy
Petitioners ask Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada to develop a methane‑reduction strategy, fund incentives for farmers shifting from beef or dairy to plant‑based production, and promote low‑carbon diets via Canada’s Food Guide. The government responds that it has released a Methane Strategy, funded programs and an up‑to‑$12‑million methane innovation challenge, and supports plant‑based protein development.
Why we would sign this petition
- It creates a clear federal plan to reduce agricultural methane, offering a direct pathway to help meet Canada’s methane‑reduction commitments.
- Financial incentives would lower barriers for farmers to switch to plant‑based production, helping cover transition costs and speed adoption.
- Promoting Canada’s Food Guide encourages lower‑carbon diets and public awareness, complementing supply‑side measures to reduce emissions.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Shifting farmers from beef or dairy to plant production could harm livelihoods and rural economies if transitions lack adequate, long‑term supports.
- Reducing livestock production may affect domestic protein supply and ecosystem services provided by grazing if not carefully managed or compensated.
- Federal incentives and promotion may be costly or duplicative and could be less effective than technological or management improvements already being pursued.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada WHEREAS: -We are in a climate emergency and must act with urgency to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions; -The reduction of the greenhouse gas methane, which holds onto heat more effectively than carbon dioxide and breaks down in the atmosphere in around 12 years as compared to carbon dioxide that takes hundreds of years, would have a quick and positive climate impact; -Lowering methane is crucial to limiting rising temperatures and their related impacts such as increased wildfires, drought and severe storms; -Canada has signed the Global Methane Pledge that aims to reduce methane by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030; -Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada has not developed a strategy on how to reach emission reduction targets, including methane reduction targets, and without one there is no clear path to help in achieving Canada's 2030 target; -The agricultural sector accounts for approximately 30% of Canada's methane emissions, 86% of which comes from enteric fermentation, the process by which cattle and other ruminants digest their food; and -Lowering beef and dairy consumption and production would rapidly lower our national greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, we, the undersigned residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to implement the following policies that will lower methane emissions and help Canada reach its international climate commitments: 1. For Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada to develop a methane reduction strategy in order to contribute to Canada's obligations under the Global Methane Pledge. 2. To provide financial incentives to farmers who transition from beef or dairy farming to plant- based food farming and who follow sustainable farming practices. 3. To encourage low-carbon eating habits by actively promoting Canada's Food Guide and the health and cost advantages of a plant-based diet.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Signed by The Honourable Heath MacDonald, PC, MP In October 2021, the Government of Canada confirmed its support for the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce global methane emissions from all sources by 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030. Canada is also a member of the Food and Agriculture Organizations Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership, a collaborative, multi-stakeholder initiative dedicated to enhancing the environmental sustainability of the livestock sector through harmonized methods, metrics and data-driven solutions. To support its commitment to the Global Methane Pledge, Environment and Climate Change Canada, with support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, released Canada's Methane Strategy in September 2022, which includes a chapter on agriculture that highlights challenges and opportunities for methane emissions reduction across the sector and federal actions. The Strategy emphasizes the importance of building on the successes of livestock producers, many of whom are world leaders in environmental sustainability, achieving increased productivity per animal due to improvements in nutrition, genetics, and management practices. While there is no emissions reduction target related to Canada’s agriculture sector in the Strategy, there has been a 20% decrease in Canada’s agricultural methane emissions since 2005. Canadian farmers have been leaders in the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. The Government of Canada is committed to helping the agriculture sector in mitigating and adapting to climate change to ensure a sustainable and resilient future for Canadian producers. As such, over $1.5 billion has been invested to support farmers in adopting new technologies and farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve on-farm performance. This investment includes funding for the Agricultural Clean Technology Program to support the development of transformative clean technologies and help farmers adopt commercially available clean technology, including those that reduce methane emissions, It also includes the Agricultural Climate Solutions – On-Farm Climate Action Fund, which targets projects that accelerate emission reductions by improving on-farm practices that help lower methane emissions, such as rotational grazing. As well, federal, provincial, and territorial cost-shared funding has been allocated under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership to help farmers make their farms more resilient and sustainable. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership includes programs that help raise producers’ awareness of environmental risks and accelerate the adoption of on-farm technologies and practices to reduce these risks, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This includes the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, which supports the adoption of practices that increase ecosystem resilience while also supporting carbon sequestration. As a part of the commitment to reducing methane emissions in the agriculture sector, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada launched the Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge in November 2023. The challenge will provide up to $12 million to innovators advancing low-cost, scalable, and economically viable practices, processes, and technologies that can reduce enteric methane emissions from the cattle sector. After moving through several stages, the Grand Prize winners will be announced in Spring 2028. Additionally, under Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle protocol in October 2025 and is developing a protocol on Reducing Manure Methane Emissions. Combined, these protocols address the two main sources of methane emissions in the agriculture sector: enteric fermentation and manure management. Although livestock are a source of greenhouse gas emissions, they also provide an important source of protein for consumption and positively contribute to environmental objectives related to soil carbon sequestration, water quality, soil health, and biodiversity. Portions of Canada’s native grasslands, one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems, can be conserved and improved when appropriately grazed by livestock, and well-managed grazing can contribute to soil carbon sequestration. Grazing livestock can also help regulate the flow and quantity of water, protect fragile soils from erosion, recycle nutrients, and maintain habitats for wildlife and plants. Industry groups, such as the Canadian Cattle Association and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, recognize the important role livestock play in meeting our environmental objectives and have made commitments to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions profile of the livestock sector by 2030 and help sequester more carbon on grazing lands. Canada has also made significant investments into furthering the development of plant-based protein options in the country. In 2021, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced an investment of more than $4.3 million to support Canada’s pulse and special crops farmers in meeting growing consumer demand for sustainable, high-quality plant-based protein. Additionally, Protein Industries Canada, is increasing the value of key Canadian crops such as canola, wheat and pulses and serving growing markets in North America, Asia and Europe for plant-based meat alternatives and new food products. The Protein Industries Cluster brings partners together that span across the value chain, from seed genetics, to farmers, to ingredient and food processors through to consumers in Canada and around the world, all while embracing new technology to improve the sustainability and traceability of our food. In support of The Road to $25 billion, a sector-wide strategy that aims to achieve $25 billion in annual sales from plant-based food and ingredients by 2035, the Cluster is helping Canada get closer to reach this goal, leading to more jobs for Canadians, and more food options and innovations. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will continue to work with our federal counterparts as well as provinces, territories and producers, to ensure any future actions taken to reduce methane emissions take into consideration the unique realities and perspectives of Canadian agriculture.