Research benefits cereal growers and the livestock sector
After months of study into the agricultural value chain, the House of Commons agriculture committee is making a plea for a more coherent federal research policy to promote innovation.
It would include a stronger commitment to government research funding.
The recommendation contained in a report tabled in Parliament last week called on Agriculture Canada to examine all policies that affect, and in some cases delay, development of grain and oilseed varieties.
The report saidsome crops, including canola and soybeans, attract significant private investment, but much of the sector is ignored.
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“There is insufficient investment in plant breeding by private companies for some crops,” said the report.
“Research in areas such as crop rotations, which can be undertaken over 10 to 15 years before producing results, is something in which the private sector is unlikely to invest.”
It also called for more regulatory co-ordination with the United States, negotiation of an international low level presence deal for inadvertent GMOs in export shipments and better regulatory labelling rules for the Canadian beverage industry.
Opposition MPs on the committee filed minority reports that called for development of a national food strategy.
Among New Democrat recommendations was a demand that the government drop plans to end restrictions on consumer market container sizes after industry groups said deregulation would lead to a flood of cheaper American products that would drive Canadian processors out of business.
Opposition parties also cautioned against introducing genetically modified crops that could hurt Canadian organic producers, in-cluding a moratorium on introduction of GM alfalfa.
However, a key recommendation in the majority committee report is that the federal government “examine all federal policies affecting the plant breeding sector, including available grants and contributions, in-house research programs, intellectual property rights and regulatory process.”
The committee said the result should be “development of new varieties of grains and oilseeds and improve competition in the plant breeding sector.” Livestock sector witnesses made the same plea.
“Witnesses stated that the establishment of agri-science clusters is making a great contribution to the meat industry,” it said.
“Witnesses firmly believe that innovation and research are success factors for the industry and ex-pressed the wish to see research clusters continue and support for science strengthened.”
The report points to the need for a government commitment to public research, although there has been a decline in core public research funding and staff in recent years.
Increasingly, federal research is driven by short-term industry projects. The committee came down on both sides.
“Many witnesses stressed the importance of maintaining public sector research in plant breeding and crop management and at the same time increasing collaboration with the industry to set the right priorities,” said the report.
