Grain Farmers of Ontario is joining producer and industry organizations from across Canada in calling for a national plant breeding strategy that recognizes the unique realities of every crop, region, and farmer.
The organizations have released a joint vision, A National Plant Breeding Strategy Must Work for Every Crop, outlining what is needed to build a stronger, more innovative Canadian plant breeding system. The statement has been endorsed by the Atlantic Grains Council, Producteurs de grains du Québec, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Bean Growers, Ontario Canola Growers Association, Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, Prairie Oat Growers Association, Alberta Pulse Growers, and SeCan.
Every crop planted by a Canadian farmer begins with plant breeding research, often more than a decade before a variety reaches the field. Plant breeding enables farmers to access varieties that can withstand pests and diseases, respond to weather extremes, improve productivity, meet end-use quality requirements, and support new market opportunities.
The need for a strong national plant breeding system is particularly important for crops where market size and royalty economics do not support significant private-sector breeding investment. Oats, food-grade soybeans, wheat and barley grown in Eastern Canada, canola grown in Ontario, and some pulse crops, including dry beans, are among the crops identified in the joint vision.
For these crops, public investment can be the foundation that sustains breeding capacity, keeps new varieties moving through development and testing, and supports the farmers, processors, and markets that depend on them.
“Plant breeding is an investment in the future of Canadian agriculture,” says Jeff Harrison, chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario. “The work happening today will shape the varieties farmers have access to, and our ability to adapt to changing conditions and continue producing high-quality food here at home. We need to make sure our breeding system can support the full range of crops farmers grow across the country, including those where private investment alone may not be enough. Taking that long-term view is essential to keeping Canadian agriculture strong and resilient.”
All participating organizations agree on the following shared vision: “A plant breeding system that recognizes the unique realities of each crop, is anchored in stable public investment where needed, is responsive to regional growing conditions, and delivers a steady pipeline of varieties that are beneficial to farmers, customers, and Canada’s food system.”
The organizations are calling for a renewed, multi-year federal investment in plant breeding ahead of the 2028 funding framework. Current funding for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-supported breeding programs is set to lapse in 2028, and varieties currently being developed in breeding pipelines will continue to require years of testing and evaluation before reaching farmers’ fields.
The organizations are asking that the next AgriScience Program support all aspects of variety development, particularly for crops with less private-sector breeding investment. Long-term funding is needed to provide breeding programs with the certainty required to maintain capacity and deliver new varieties over the years it takes to develop them
Fundamentally, a national breeding strategy should not rely on a single model for every crop. Different crops face different economic and regional realities, and a successful national system must reflect that diversity.
The organizations look forward to continued discussion with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and other stakeholders to develop a national plant breeding strategy that works for every farmer, every region, and every crop it is intended to serve.
The full joint vision, A National Plant Breeding Strategy Must Work for Every Crop, is available at https://gfo.ca/national-plant-breeding-strategy/
Source : GFO