Evidence of meeting #7 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was agriculture.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
I knew it was going to be half a minute.
Mr. Holmes, I know you talked about your integrated scientific research and the need for infrastructure and the knowledge transfer. So is there something in particular among your priorities that would be beneficial to the organic group?
Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association
I would say that what is significant and unique to the cluster program is that it's industry-directed. So what you see there is the ability of industry to prioritize with the research community and the various partners where some of those research dollars should go. So it lends itself to an efficient use of public funds—and probably with an incentive for industry matching dollars. Typically what industry wants to spend its money on is something that is marketable and has real results in the short- to medium-term, and probably something that can then be shared longer term as a best practice or lesson learned.
We saw that as a very effective program and really want to build on the foundation that Growing Forward established.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Thank you very much.
Now I'll move to Mr. Valeriote for five minutes.
Liberal
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
Thank you, gentlemen, for coming to Ottawa to speak to us today.
Dr. Freeman, I'd like to start with you. Over my three years on the agriculture committee, I have learned—and I think I'm correct—that food safety goes beyond the point where it starts at the processing plant up until the food gets into my mouth. What I learned is that food safety begins with how animals are treated on the farm and how they're transported, and their living conditions, to a certain degree. I'm wondering if you agree with that assessment, and if so whether you think that some undertaking should be made by the government to study the living conditions of animals, animal welfare and health, in a more meaningful way.
I ask that because I didn't see much attention given to the issue in Growing Forward 2 and the Saint Andrews Statement. While I asked for a study on this in the previous Parliament and we concurred on having one, we never got to it, simply because an election was called. I'm wondering if you think something more should be done in this area.
Dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
I agree with your comments that food safety is an issue that extends all the way back to the ranch or farm. For instance, there are data showing that cattle will excrete more E. Coli 0157 during a longer transportation ride than a shorter one. So, yes, I agree with you. Certainly animal well-being is an important component of animal health. When we consider worldwide markets, I think how we treat our animals is becoming more of a factor there as well. And animal welfare is more than just animal health; it's about animal handling and well-being, which can certainly affect the food safety related issues as well.
Liberal
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
Would you urge that to be more meaningfully considered in Growing Forward 2?
Dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
I would definitely agree with that, yes.
Liberal
Frank Valeriote Liberal Guelph, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Holmes, thank you for your presentation.
You mentioned filling the gap between the time a farmer decides to move into organic agriculture and the approximately three years it takes them to establish themselves in farming. You also mentioned establishing regulations for organic certification. In what other countries are those kinds of supports given, both organic certification and support, and do you feel there are any other things beyond those two that can be done to create the infrastructure support you spoke of in your remarks?
Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association
Thank you.
The 27 members of the EU would have had at some point, and I believe they still have, some program in place to support that transition. Of course, it's a country-by-country decision, a member-state decision. Similarly, in the United States there are probably 30 to 40 states that have invested in this sort of program to assist producers who wish to convert to organic methods. There are other countries as well that have invested in this, but we would have to follow up with you with the exact information.
It's an important investment, and with the shared jurisdiction in Canada of agriculture between the provinces and the federal government, it seems something that Growing Forward 2 could really address. So it could be something that's there, if it were a priority for an individual province to pursue, in having a specific program to meet their needs locally on the ground for their producers and communities. It seems a great opportunity right now to look at something like that.
In terms of other infrastructure, we have the basics in place. We have the regulation, which refers to the standard that we have, as I mentioned in my remarks. We're quite concerned right now that without a system in place to maintain that standard.... It's national standard of Canada by the Canadian General Standards Board, which has a technical committee made up of industry experts who volunteer their time. There are probably 45 voting members, 90 members in total, and it's quite an expensive undertaking to move through a consensus model that the CGSB requires. It also requires a five-year review. Our regulation is making this mandatory, not to mention our trade agreements with our major trading partners, which require that every time they change something in their standards, or we do, we need to review the agreements.
Without that infrastructure support in place, we're concerned that we could have a lost opportunity or a bit of a fall.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
You're out of time, Frank, sorry.
I'll move to Mr. Zimmer for five minutes, please.
October 25th, 2011 / 5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
I have a question for Matthew, to start with.
It's good to hear another great Canadian agriculture story, that we're leading the world in this area.
I want to ask you specifically what needs to be done, in your opinion, to increase the efficiency of technology and innovation transfer? We often see it developed in its own little island or area, and this is inefficient, to say the least. We don't see it actually reaching the farmers. What can be done about that?
Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association
That's a great question.
My colleague here has spoken, to a certain degree, of having some experts in the field who are noted resources. They tend to attract the right people around them to get some of the messages out, or to get the media interested.
Something the cluster has done is that it's brought together very different researchers, industry, and government. Many of these people weren't organic researchers before but they're now working on the organic cluster. What you see from that is a great opportunity for convergence, for alignment, for cross-pollination, which is something that we like in the organic sector. It also can lead to the sharing of ideas that go beyond just one particular method or model of production.
Many in the organic sector feel there are lessons to be learned through organic research and innovation that aren't exclusive to organic agriculture by any means. You don't need to be certified organic farmer to use some of these things and you can reduce your costs significantly if you're using the right rotation with different inputs or reduced input use.
So we think that might offer some competitiveness for all Canadian producers.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
Dr. Freeman, can you answer the same question? Basically, how do we make more efficient that transfer of innovation to the farmer?
Dean, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Thank you.
The model of extension outreach--and here I can speak from the university setting--is a great model. It's training the next generation to go back and work in the industry and this system of continuing education or outreach is bringing the new information back out into the field.
In our area of veterinary medicine, our veterinarians, of course, are on the farms, working with the producers and bringing the newest information on animal health back to them. And I would presume there are similar roles in other areas.
I would just like to add a comment on the clusters as well. I really applaud the Growing Forward program for its focus on creating these clusters, because that's a way of not only bringing ideas together for the research but also then disseminating the information much more broadly.
I would like to pose a suggestion there be an additional focus in terms of making sure that these clusters actually are interacting with each other and are not a group of isolated projects, and that a series of national advisory committees, or whatever, actually evaluate the cluster on its cooperative work.
Conservative
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
Perfect.
I have another question for Matthew Holmes.
This is putting you on the spot a bit, but if you could decide on a ratio of funding for research versus technology transfer and you had to weigh it out, where should the money go? Prioritize it: where would you put that money?
Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association
Yes, that puts me a bit on the spot. I guess, with organic agriculture right now there is almost no extension support across the country, or very little. Some provinces have invested in extension specialists, Quebec and B.C. being examples. NSERC has supported the creation of an organic extension agent in Atlantic Canada. Apart from that, it's quite piecemeal. And because the sector is horizontal, you have many different commodities and many different knowledge areas and we have many gaps.
Conservative
Bob Zimmer Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC
Where do you see a bigger gap, if you know what I mean?
Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association
If you look at our organic production in Canada, it parallels many of our other traditional productions. We have a strong base in oilseeds, pulses, wheats, and grains, and those are areas that provide great opportunities for further research and further extension support.