Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced its funding commitment to the Canadian poultry sector today through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). The five-year funding will invest up to $10.2 million in made-in-Canada research, supported by the federal government, the Canadian Poultry Research Council (CPRC), as well as industry and other levels of government.
“Investments in research are vitally important to the future of our agricultural sector,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “By making sure our hardworking poultry farmers are using best practices and adopting innovative solutions, we’re not only strengthening our economy, we’re building a resilient industry that meets the needs of consumers, while protecting our environment for generations to come.”
The $10.2 million investment in Canadian poultry research consists of up to $5.1 million from AAFC, $2.82 million from CPRC, $1.85 million from industry, and $405,000 from other levels of government.
“This new injection of funding will ensure continued innovation and excellence in research that benefits the entire Canadian poultry supply chain,” says Caroline Wilson, Executive Director of the Canadian Poultry Research Council (CPRC). “We will be supporting research that will help discover relevant and timely solutions for Canadian farmers to improve productivity and profitability, and find effective climate change solutions.”
Poultry research projects receiving Sustainable CAP funding will be carried out at the universities of Guelph, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Calgary, McGill University, Université Laval, as well as several AAFC research and development facilities across Canada. The projects fall under three main research priority areas – environment and climate change, economic growth and sector resilience.
“Research will focus on looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, find innovative approaches to disease management, and improve the overall strength of our sector,” says Wilson. “Information and progress updates on these new projects will be shared through our PoultryScienceCluster.ca site.
The Sustainable CAP is a $3.5 billion, 5-year agreement (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2028) between the federal, provincial and territorial governments. Programs under Sustainable CAP are designed to strengthen competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector.
Canadian Poultry Research Council (CPRC) is an industry-led organization with a mandate to support poultry research in Canada. Formed in 2001 to address national poultry research needs, CPRC serves the four national feather boards – Chicken Farmers of Canada, Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, Egg Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada – and the Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors through the coordination and implementation of its Poultry Science Cluster, securing matching and additional cluster funding to deliver an efficient poultry research program based on Canadian research priorities.
