Research on the protective and therapeutic benefits of elk antler
velvet for humans is on hold after Saskatchewan Agriculture denied a
University of Saskatchewan medical researcher’s grant application.
Susan Hemmings of the university’s college of medicine has spent the
last two years studying potential benefits of velvet in managing and
preventing liver disease.
She had applied for more than $100,000 over two years from the
provincial government’s Agricultural Development Fund.
“It was the opinion of the board that (chronic wasting disease) had so
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decimated the industry and even with my study it would not bring back
markets or the industry,” she said.
“I was sufficiently crushed.”
Abdul Jalil, director of research with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said
his department recognizes the importance of the elk industry and its
potential economic benefits.
He noted the province has invested $1 million in elk research and
surveillance programs since the late 1980s.
Three elk research projects are currently under way, representing
$150,000 through the AgriFood Innovation Fund, Agricultural Development
Fund and Technology Adoption and Demonstration program.
He said a board reviewed 109 grant applications and chose 28.
“Sometimes there simply is not enough money,” he said. “It’s a matter
of prioritization.”
Hemmings felt her research was a low priority, adding it had been
criticized for lacking industry support and funding.
She has received $10,000 from the American elk research council and
another $10,000 has been pledged by the Saskatchewan Association of Elk
Breeders.
She plans to continue with her research, but the lack of money will
limit her plans to study the toxicity levels of animals, model liver
injury and cirrhosis, and examine velvet’s role in preventing cancer.
“In order to do larger studies, I absolutely need money,” she said.
The Canadian Cervid Council reports North American sales for elk antler
velvet have increased in the last two years, despite weakened export
markets due to CWD concerns.
CWD has affected 40 farmed elk herds in Saskatchewan and one in Alberta
since 2000, with the last confirmed case in March.
