National Farmers Union Releases New Report—Reinstating Efficacy Testing for Non-Fertilizer Supplements
Saskatoon, SK – The National Farmers Union (NFU) today released a new report: Tried and True: The Case for Reinstituting Efficacy Testing for Non-Fertilizer Supplements. In this report, the NFU makes the case for reinstituting Canada’s former efficacy testing regulations for the purpose of testing and verifying the benefits of non-fertilizer supplements.
Non-fertilizer supplements include a range of biological and other products that farmers can add to their soils or put on their seeds that can build soil health, aid plant growth, boost yields, or provide other benefits. Non-fertilizer supplements include a diverse array of products such as microbial inoculants; seaweed extracts; biochar; and compost tea.
Non-fertilizer supplements can represent a viable alternative to expensive fertilizer products and shifting to non-fertilizer supplements will assist in Canada’s goal of reducing fertilizer-related emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
At the top of farmers’ minds, however, will be whether or not non-fertilizer supplements operate as they claim to, delivering benefits such as sustained yields and improved soil health. Efficacy testing is the solution to verifying the claims of non-fertilizer supplements. Efficacy testing works like this: governments require supplement makers to conduct multi-year, multi-site tests and submit those tests to governments for scrutiny and independent verification and certification of claims on labels, websites, or marketing materials. Currently, this does not occur.
James Hannay, NFU Policy Analyst commented on the report, “The existing knowledge at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the former testing system is the most efficient solution for efficacy testing in Canada.”
Until 2013, Canada had a highly regarded efficacy testing program for non-fertilizer supplements. The NFU’s recommendation is that existing knowledge of the program at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency be leveraged to rebuild the program at low cost, but with great effectiveness.
“‘Farmer buy-and-try’ should no longer be the norm for non-fertilizer supplements. Farmers should not bear the costs of testing non-fertilizer supplements, nor can farmers deliver statistically significant results to prove that they work,” stated Hannay.
Building on this report, the NFU will look to build a coalition of agricultural groups to advocate for the reinstatement of the efficacy testing program. The NFU is also looking to communicate with policymakers and elected officials to have the Efficacy Testing program included in Budget 2025.
Read the report on the NFU website here.
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For more information:
James Hannay, NFU Policy Analyst, hannay@nfu.ca
