Plans to reduce the use of fertilizers by Canadian farmers in the name of combating climate change have sparked widespread outrage in the country among farmers and provincial governments. Farmers actively urge the population to support them and take to the streets. “Farms or famine. Take the side of the farmers,” called the farmers today at a demonstration in Toronto.

A meeting of federal and provincial ministers ended in Saskatoon on Friday, at which several provinces said they were disappointed with the government's actions.

The federal government is seeking to mandate the reduction of nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizers, saying it is a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. While the Trudeau government says they want a 30% reduction in emissions, not fertilizer, farm officials say that for now, reducing nitrous oxide emissions cannot be done without reducing fertilizer use.

"The provinces have been frustrated by the lack of flexibility and consultation around the federal target," Minister Lisa Thompson of Ontario said after the meeting.

Several provincial governments and organizations representing farmers have been asked to measure the reduction in fertilizer emissions using intensity metrics - how much food is produced versus how much fertilizer is used. Trudeau's government is demanding absolute cuts in emissions, which farmers say will lead to less food at a time when the world can't afford it.

“The world needs Canada to increase production and become the solution to global food shortages. The federal government needs to show that they understand this,” Alberta Minister Nate Horner expressed his opinion.

"We're really concerned about this inexplicable goal," Saskatchewan-based Minister David Marit confirmed.

Federal Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau called the government's goal ambitious, but says farmers will accept it.

“I meet with many farmers. I know how much they care about the environment and how much they are investing in new methods and new technologies in order to reduce their emissions as much as possible,” Bibo said. "The idea is to produce the most environmentally friendly food in the world."

Farming groups such as Western Canadian wheat growers have said the federal plan will cut crops, cut farm family incomes and raise food prices at Canadian grocery stores.

While Ministers Thompson, Horner, and Marit were successful and professional farmers and ranchers before entering politics, Bibeau was an international development bureaucrat and ran a small tourism-related business.

Similar plans to reduce the use of fertilizers have led to massive protests in Europe, in particular the Netherlands. The country was engulfed in riots, farmers and ordinary residents took to the streets of cities, blocked roads. The Dutch government intends to reduce the number of farms by almost half, and given that this is one of the main types of labor activity in the country, the dissatisfaction of the population is understandable.