Canadian farmers urged to produce biogas

The Canadian government is

financing a campaign to encourage more farmers to produce their own biogas.

It is providing funding of up to $116,800 (£66,512) to the Canadian Biogas Association (CBA) to promote the green energy to agriculture.

The method of turning organic matter, such as livestock manure, crop residue and food waste, into methane gas in a anaerobic digester has been slow to catch on in the country.

Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau said: “Canadian agricultural producers ensure the health of our lands and continue to innovate to reduce the environmental impact of their practices.

“Biogas systems provide them an innovative way to manage their waste, diversify their incomes and grow their businesses, all while reducing their GHG emissions.

“With the tools offered by the Canadian Biogas Association, farm-ers will have access to relevant information to help them better understand the opportunities avail-able to them in biogas and renewable natural gas.”

The CBA has launched a new website, FarmingBiogas.ca, to help farmers evaluate the opportunities of biogas, including a self-assessment tool, answers to key questions, profiles of on-farm biogas plants in Canada and more.

It also acts as a one-stop-shop for farmers, pointing them to biogas equipment suppliers and technical advisors.

The government funding will also be used by the CBA to assess the potential for renewable natural gas development by region.

It will use this information to create a guide to inform agricultural stakeholders about new and emerging renewable natural gas opportunities.

Jennifer Green, Executive Director of the Canadian Biogas Association, said there were currently 61 farms and agri-food businesses across Canada successfully capturing biogas and turning it into a valuable clean energy resource.

“Studies show that there is the opportunity for much more,” she said.

Ms Green said it intended to accelerate the further uptake of farm biogas projects and “in so doing, cut Canada’s carbon emissions and

support our agricultural com-munities”.

Established in 2008, the Canadian Biogas Association is a not-for-profit, member-driven organisation with a mission to advance the development of the biogas and renewable natural gas industry in Canada.