Food versus fuel fight heats up in Canadian municipalities forums

In Canada, the food versus fuel debate is getting heated up with Agriculture Minister Lana Popham hearing from local mayors and government officials who are concerned that land is being converted from feeding people to growing non-edible hemp and marijuana. While hemp and marijuana is increasingly being planted in Canada, it is not just for the recreational cannabis market, but for biofuels and industrial and textile fibers. One mayor is fighting to preserve the Delta’s farmland which includes 8,500 ha currently in cultivation but only has about 5% of all land in the province available for agriculture. With limited farming land available, the mayor is pushing to focus on growing vegetables and fruits and not on hemp for the new biofuels, fibers and recreational markets popping up in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declared that recreational marijuana will be legal by July 1, 2018.