Canada: Poutine

Canada’s most well-known dish is poutine – a combination of french fries, cheese curds and gravy.

The country currently sources the majority of its potatoes domestically. Canada ranks 13th in the world for potato production and is also the second largest exporter of frozen french fries.

Canada’s potato crops face threats from extreme weather. Last year, the record northern-hemisphere summer heatwave caused prolonged hot and dry conditions in Canada, which affected potato growth. This was followed by heavy rain in the autumn, causing harvest disruption. The “unseasonable” weather forced farmers to abandon 6,475 hectares of potato crop – 4.5% of the total harvest.

“It’s unprecedented. Never, never before have I seen this in my time,” Kevin MacIsaac, general manager of the United Potato Growers of Canada, told the Toronto Star in December, 2018.

Failed potato crop. Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. Credit: Alan Gignoux / Alamy Stock Photo.

A study reported by Carbon Brief found that last summer’s northern-hemisphere heatwave “could not have happened without human-induced climate change”.

Several other studies have found that climate change is making extreme weather more severe in Canada. For example, research found that a severe drought that struck Canada’s western provinces in 2015 was made more likely by human-caused global warming. The region is home to 80% of the country’s arable land.

A recent study found that growing Canadian potato varieties in 35C caused potato size to shrink by up 93%. (During last year’s heatwave, this temperature was regularly exceeded in Eastern Canada, including Quebec and Ontatio, as well as in Western Canada, including in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.)

Separately, a study looking at the impact of climate change on global potato production found that parts of southern Canada could see yields decrease by 49% on 1979-2009 levels by 2055, if future greenhouse emissions are extremely high.

Another key ingredient of poutine is cheese curds, which are made from curdled milk.

Canada’s milk industry is concentrated in Quebec and Ontario which, together, are home to 82% of the country’s dairy farms. A study published in 2015 found that dairy cows in Southern Ontario are increasingly dying as a result of heat stress.

Dairy cows in Notre Dame de Stanbridge, Quebec, Canada. Credit: All Canada Photos / Alamy Stock Photo.

“As a result of climate change, heatwaves, which are defined as three days of temperatures of 32C or above, are an increasingly frequent extreme weather phenomenon in southern Ontario,” the authors write. “Heatwaves are increasing the risk for on-farm dairy cow mortality in southern Ontario.”

A second study published this year found that dairy cows in Quebec that were exposed to heat stress produced milk with less fat and protein. However, heat stress had little impact on the amount of milk produced by cows. “Further research is necessary to better understand the mechanism underlying the effects,” the authors say.

Poutine’s final key ingredient – gravy – can be made from various meats, but chicken is often used.

In 2018, Canada produced 1.3bn kg of chicken and 60% of this came from Quebec and Ontario.

A government report found that poultry farming in Quebec is “particularly sensitive” to heat stress. A heatwave in July 2002, for example, killed half a million chickens in the region – “despite the use of modern ventilation systems”, the report says. The incident revealed “the gravity of heatwaves” for poultry production, according to the report.

Chickens in Quebec. Credit: Sébastien Lemyre / Alamy Stock Photo.