Crop protection saves Canadians millions

Modern crop protection saves Canadian families millions of dollars every year, according to a new report released by the pro-crop protection organization CropLife Canada.

The report, written by Mark Goodwin Consulting Ltd., says crop protection and biotechnology save consumers up to 70 per cent on any food that requires wheat flour or soy, 53 per cent on vegetables and 39 per cent on fruit.

Crop protection products contribute to a vibrant Canadian economy, it says, offering solutions to some of the world's greatest challenges -- climate change, food security and water shortages among them.

"The value of these innovations to farmers is undeniable, but more impressive is their impact on Canadians across the country and their contribution to the economy as a whole," says the report.

The efficiencies that growers and food workers have implemented have led to an agriculture sector that Industry Canada statistics say generated more than $70 billion in economic activity -- almost nine per cent of Canada's GDP in 2008 -- according to the report.

Agriculture and the Canadian agri-food system account for one out of every eight jobs, employing two million people. The report says one element that's enabled this growth is crop protection chemistries and modern plant breeding techniques, including plant biotechnology.

There's no question genetically modified crops have become popular with many Canadian farmers, who planted nearly 22 million acres of them last year. Despite these numbers, the challenge remains demonstrating the value of crop protection in any form to the public.