Universities and the private sector can’t make up the gaps
Close to two dozen Canadian ag groups wrote to Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald to ask for an immediate pause to the scheduled cuts at AAFC research facilities.
The federal government is closing seven ag research sites and eliminating 665 positions to support the prime minister’s goal of reducing overall spending by 15 per cent over three years.
But organizations like the Canadian Seed Growers Association, Farmers for Climate Solutions, and the Canada Organic Trade Association, want a 24-month suspension of the decision “so the government can take time to re-evaluate closures and cuts in areas that are crucial, protect irreplaceable components of the research system, or offer enhancements to Canada’s agriculture landscape that may have been overlooked,” the March 9 letter says.
In response to industry criticism about the research cuts, Minister MacDonald reassured the Canadian ag sector the federal government will still be the largest ag research organization in the country with 17 sites, including at least one in each province.
Universities and the private sector could fill in the gaps.
But those may not be viable options.
University research may not work with farmers’ needs, and the private sector is likely more concerned with profits than the actual research, the groups say.
What the ag industry needs is sustainable public research.
Research shows investing $370 million in wheat breeding brings in $11.8 billion worth of benefits.
Without level of support, Canadian ag suffers.
“These cuts threaten the science, research and innovation needs of our sector as it currently prepares for one of the biggest challenges it has ever faced,” says the letter which also includes the National Farmers Union and the Alberta Federation of Agriculture.
Figures also show Canada is investing less in ag research than other countries.
Agri-food spending has dropped from $0.86 billion in 2013 to $0.68 billion in 2022, a University of Calgary paper says.
“This reduction has left Canada ranking lowest among the top seven OECD countries in agricultural R&D expenditures, jeopardizing its global competitiveness and resilience,” the authors wrote.