Government cuts to wheat research, which are part of the 2012 federal budget, are disappointing and will ultimately hinder wheat production in Western Canada, says Grain Growers of Canada president Stephen Vandervalk.
“Unfortunately, it looks like the spring wheat program for the black and dark brown soils zones has been slashed by about one-third at a time when the world needs more production,” said Vandervalk in a news release.
The federal government informed Agriculture Canada scientists Wednesday that the Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, one of 19 Ag Canada research stations across the country, would shut down April 2014.
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As details of the closure leaked out yesterday, it became apparent that 41 of the approximately 100 positions at the Cereal Research Centre would be cut. The remaining jobs will be transferred to Ag Canada research centres in Morden or Brandon, Man.
“Some will move to the Morden Research Station and some will move to the Brandon Research Station,” said Robyn Benson, Public Service Alliance of Canada regional executive vice-president.
“How they (the government) is going to manage it, I’m not sure.”
According to the Grain Growers, Cereal Research Centre programs looking at rust and Ug99 will continue at the new locations.
Wheat breeders at the Winnipeg centre have helped develop some of the most popular spring wheat varieties in Western Canada, including Harvest, Unity, Superb and Kane.
But its closure and the staffing cuts strongly suggest the federal government no longer wants to be in the business of developing wheat varieties, said Richard Phillips, Grain Growers executive director.
“There is a clear indication here that they are moving the government out of pursing research through to varietal development.”
An Agriculture Canada spokesperson said the Cereal Research Centre was an aging building, and moving scientists to other centres in Manitoba will “achieve operational efficiencies.”
“Although the building is closing, the work done there in germplasm, genomics and pathology research for wheat will continue at our Morden facility and the work done in pathology for other small cereals will continue at our Brandon facility,” the spokesman said, adding the government remains strongly committed to wheat research and breeding.
As an example, the government has invested $8.2 million to the Canadian Wheat Breeding Cluster, a Western Grains Research Foundation initiative.
It’s not clear how much money will be saved, by closing the Cereal Research Centre. The government spokesman said the savings are part of the 10 percent reduction in Ag Canada spending over the next three years.
