Government funding cuts have hurt agricultural research even though it is the most cost effective way to help the food sector, says an industry analyst.
University of Guelph agricultural economics professor George Brinkman said recently that since budget cuts began in Ottawa in 1995, 30 percent of all publicly funded research positions have been axed.
There also have been cuts in many provincial research budgets, leading to a shrinking community of researchers at federal, provincial and university levels, he told the Canada Grains Council.
“This raises some real concerns about the impact of cuts,” Brinkman said in a later interview.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
“Research is one of the best investments that can be made to help farmers.”
He said the superior varieties developed through research have a direct impact on farm incomes.
“Prices are set in the market by others, so any efficiencies that flow from research flow right to the bottom line.”
Brinkman said some of the slack has been picked up by private sector research funding, although he was not able to find precise offsetting numbers in his study.
Private research is not a perfect substitute for public research, he said, because it tends to be aimed at developing more short-term products that will soon be earning money in the market.
As well, product and gene patenting mean that private discoveries often remain private property of the funding company and are not a “building block” available in the public domain to other researchers.
He said governments were able to get away with drastic research funding cuts because it is not a high-profile issue for many farmers.
Instead, the farm lobby often concentrates on issues of farm aid and safety net funding, which are more visible and offer more immediate help.
“But when I think back to the years when governments were spending $3 billion on farm aid, I just imagine what lasting benefits that would have created for farmers if much of that had gone into research,” said Brinkman.
He said governments should put more money into research at public institutions. He admits it will be a tough sell because the focus is on poor prices and incomes.
Brian Morrissey, assistant deputy minister for research at Agriculture Canada, said he does not dispute Brinkman’s conclusion about the staff cuts.
“In the (research) branch, we had a 20 percent cut in budget and a 30 percent cut in people because we wanted to be sure our buildings and facilities were maintained.”
