Federal government budget cuts are putting Canada’s wheat breeding programs at risk, said the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition in its review of the Canadian wheat breeding innovation system.
It said the budget cuts the government has already made are especially risky for “the variety development and pre-market evaluation stages.”
And it said federal government agriculture wheat research “is an integral part” of wheat development.
“Wheat breeding is a long-term process and decisions made today will impact agriculture decades into the future,” and coalition’s report said.
“It’s clear that the status quo is not a viable path forward,” says CWRC chair Jocelyn Velestuk, the coalition’s chair and a farmer from Broadview, Saskatchewan.
“Our system has been incredibly productive for farmers and for the sector but it’s no longer working. Securing the future of wheat in Canada requires a reimagining of our wheat breeding innovation system,” she said.
Historically, farmer investment in wheat breeding has paid major dividends. Farmers received $33 in benefits for every dollar they invested in wheat breeding from 1995 to 2020, according to a recent study from the University of Saskatchewan. Since 2020, the coalition has committed $70.5 million to western Canadian wheat breeding programs.
“Western Canadian farmers are invested in the future of wheat breeding in Canada,” Velestuk said. “We must create a path forward that addresses research gaps, delivers field-ready varieties and protects our long-term investments.”
I wonder how the return on federal subsidies compares with the research benefits. And why farm organizations lobby so hard for the subsidies and say so little about research budget cuts.
