The National Farmers Union (NFU) has condemned the federal cuts of about 675 staff and seven research facilities.
The cuts mean “Canada will be foreclosing on the discovery, problem-solving, and knowledge-base that would have been created by these institutions, leaving us more vulnerable with fewer options,” the NFU said in a news release.
Policy vice-president Phil Mount said “we need more investment, not less, in our public research institutions and personnel. The planned cuts would remove about $154 million from AAFC’s annual budget, but this is a false economy.
“Cutting our capacity to address known and emerging agriculture problems will be far more costly. For just one example, agricultural economist Dr. Richard Gray has shown that there is a $35 return to farmers and the public for every dollar invested in public plant breeding.”
The NFU also noted that farmers have partnered with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) by putting tens of millions of check-off dollars into these research projects, as has the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) which allocates money indirectly contributed by farmers.
“Closing these AAFC facilities will make it that much harder to find institutions with the capacity to utilize these funds,” said Terry Boehm, NFU representative on the WGRF.
President Jenn Pfenning of New Hamburg, ONt., said “cutting the Organic and Regenerative Research Program at the Swift Current Research Centre, the sustainable livestock programs at Lacombe and the Nappan Research Farm, along with the agro-ecosystem resilience research at Quebec City, weakens Canada’s ability to deal with climate change impacts and biodiversity loss.
“Research is needed to develop the best kinds of solutions that will be cost-effective for farmers and help us strengthen our food sovereignty.”
By comparison, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Keith Currie withheld criticism and said seeking efficiencies is understandable.
