Agriculture committee  That is possible in some situations. The first version of Growing Forward: Toward a New Agriculture Policy Framework included a science cluster focused on organic farming. I don't have the details with me, but we worked on that for the five years of the first policy framework.

Agriculture committee  I would add, as an example, that the work we did was also at the end of the Growing Forward framework with the export market for food-grade soybeans to Japan. We had done some research to come up with the non-GMO food grade. It's done here in the Ottawa area, and it involves people in Prince Edward Island in the production.

Agriculture committee  The Saint-Joseph-de-Kent farm focused primarily on berries, tree fruit and some vegetable crops. It affects our expertise given that we work as part of a network. An experimental farm or a research centre is located in one specific spot, but our strength lies in the ability to harness the entire work.

Agriculture committee  That's an interesting question, because I think we're seeing the opposite. They tend to be comprehensive and broad because their basis is large. You have some industries that are companies, but you also have industries that are producer organizations that are part of that cluster, and they have interesting views, and at times different views as well, or complementary views.

Agriculture committee  If I may, we have the same approach with our internal research and whatever research we do. Everything is done as projects with a timeline of about three or four years and all that. But I think what's important is that the scientists keep track of the general direction, and I think they build and try to design a project that will have their answers and a go or no-go type of gate point for the next step; then they will design the next project.

Agriculture committee  In terms of the clusters, they're handled by the program branch, so they have the mechanism to make adjustments if they have to. They report annually, and I think there might be a chance to at least ask and see if there is opportunity to adjust the course of action. I think in their annual report they probably have those discussions, and there might be opportunities.

Agriculture committee  I can give you an example. You mentioned antibiotics and the different tolerance levels. One of our research projects under stream A, the first project stream, is all about alternatives to antibiotics. We're conducting research within the department to find ways of reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock production, to come up with alternative methods of controlling disease.

Agriculture committee  No, we don't have those stats with us.

Agriculture committee  Yes, I think that's exactly the point. It's important that we do the full continuum—R, D, and T. So you do the research, you do the scale-up, you do the technology transfer, and it gets into the hands of the producers and the access markets, or the access.... They produce cheaper, or they have an attribute they didn't have before that they can market abroad.

Agriculture committee  The new fiscal year just started. The department's budget for the fiscal year that just ended was just over $300 million; that includes what we do internally and what we fund through the AgriInnovation program. So it's a shared budget, if you will.

Agriculture committee  It will be in the same ballpark, but I can't say exactly how much.

Agriculture committee  In the same range, yes.

Agriculture committee  We consult with industry, which calls the shots in terms of priorities to make sure they are aligned with its needs as far as the market, commercialization, production costs and so forth go. So that really guides the process. Our role is to figure out how we can help industry from a scientific standpoint, so it can do the best possible job of meeting the challenges associated with those key issues of concern.

Agriculture committee  It's a dialogue between both partners. We have knowledge when it comes to research, efforts undertaken internationally, important issues and approaches other countries and stakeholders are using. So all of that factors into the process. It's a discussion, a dialogue between both sides.

Agriculture committee  We use consultations to develop projects, such as science cluster projects. Then the plan is submitted to the department for funding.