National soil strategy bill set to pass in Senate

A bill that would create a nation strategy for soil health is expected to pass its third Senate reading today.

“I’m delighted that (Federal Agriculture) Minister McDonald is emphasizing the government’s commitment to safeguard our soils through the development of this strategy,” said Senator Rob Black, who championed the bill.

Bill S-230, the National Strategy for Soil Health Act, would develop a national strategy for soil health protection, conservation and enhancement based on recommendations from Black’s 2024 Senate soil health report: “Critical Ground”.

Collaboration between Agriculture and AgriFood Canada and the Soil Conservation Council of Canada — with input from farmers, the agriculture industry, Indigenous communities, provinces, territories, and related ministries — will make the bill’s objectives a reality, Black said.

Soil as a national asset

The bill closely follows the 2024 report’s 25 recommendations, Black said.

Those included:

• Recognizing soil as a national asset and a resource essential to food security
• Providing measures to increase knowledge about the status of Canada’s soils
• Supporting education and training on effective management practices
• Sharing with all Canadians the importance of healthy soil and the direct impact it has on their lives

“We’re a global leader in foods, food supply,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald. “We’re a global leader in food safety, and we need to be a global leader in food security.”

MacDonald said the Act plays a significant role in achieving that goal and will have “an effect on the farming population for generations to come.”

Significance of soil health

Black and the Senate committee’s indepth research into Canada’s soil challenges and potential solutions has highlighted the significance of soil health and the threats it faces said Alan Kruszel, Soil Conservation Council of Canada’s eastern producer director.

“Healthy soils are so important for producers as well as for all Canadians. Healthy soils provide the majority of the food we eat,” said Kruszel. “Soils help to purify our water, to clean our air and provide habitat for all kinds of life.”

Kruszel said the agriculture sector provides one in nine jobs nationally. Investment into soil health is ongoing through research, farm organizations, input suppliers and other groups with an eye to adoption of sustainable on-farm practices.

“Our intention through the National Soil Health Strategy is to optimize those investments through collaborations,” he said. “And collectively working to identify gaps… while establishing priority actions that we can all work on together.”

The bill will only be made into law once it has been passed in the Senate and House of Commons and received royal assent.