The Government of Canada is committed to investing in science and innovation for the benefit of Canadians, the environment, and the economy. On June 16, 2016, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced that the department was receiving $37.6 million as part of Budget 2016 to support the rehabilitation and modernization of select AAFC research stations and laboratories in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.
Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie and Member of Parliament for Compton - Stanstead, accompanied by Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Member of Parliament for La Prairie, highlighted that AAFC’s Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre in Quebec is receiving $1.5 million of the Budget 2016 investment to install a new bioreactor.
The new bioreactor will help advance research into an AAFC-developed technology that turns farm waste into mineral-rich fertilizer. Unlike traditional bioreactor processes, the AAFC process was developed specifically for Canada’s cooler climate and achieves high-performance anaerobic digestion of farm waste at lower temperatures (between 5-25°C).
Working at lower temperatures significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and uses less energy, making the processes cleaner and more sustainable.
In addition to its environmental advantages, farmers will benefit by turning farm waste into a useable resource – fertilizer they can use on their farm. Surplus fertilizer can be sold as an additional income stream.
Source: AAFC