NFU supports Parliamentary Agriculture Committee’s unanimous recommendation to reverse AAFC research cuts
On May 6, the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee presented the Committee’s report on Science in Canadian Agriculture and the Closure of Research Centres to the House of Commons. It recommends that the Government of Canada “pause and reverse the decision to close agricultural research centres and experimental farm sites” and “reconsider its decision to cancel the organic and regenerative program at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre.” It further recommends “that the Government ensure that valuable scientific expertise, research capacity, and ongoing research are preserved and not lost, and that decisions be accompanied by greater transparency and the timely sharing of information.”
Liberal, Conservative and Bloc Quebecois Committee members unanimously support these recommendations. Minister MacDonald must provide the government’s official response to the report within 120 days.
“The National Farmers Union applauds the Committee members for standing by their convictions and calling on Minister MacDonald to reverse the cuts as soon as possible” said NFU VP Policy Phil Mount. “AAFC must immediately halt employee terminations, resume research activities, and suspend further facility and program closures—to prevent irreversible losses while the Minister considers his response.”
The Committee’s 20 recommendations reflect the compelling evidence presented by witnesses and in written briefs from agriculture organizations, communities, research organizations, and workers’ unions.
At a closed-door meeting, the Committee members received a partial financial analysis showing the operating cost of the targeted facilities was projected at only $23.2 million per year over ten years. The analysis did not account for the cost of relocation, divestiture, and decommissioning.
“The AAFC financial analysis didn’t include the cost of abandoning specialized equipment and facilities (some paid for by non-AAFC funders) and partially completed projects, and destruction of the value of future potential,” said Manitoba-based NFU farmer Dean Harder. “We strongly support the Committee’s call for a detailed site-specific cost-benefit analysis and recommendation for AAFC to look for other ways to reduce expenditures.”
The Report quotes the National Farmers Union’s written submission regarding the need for public interest research, particularly for plant breeding and organic/low-input farming:
The Organic and Regenerative program at Swift Current is Canada’s only site for registration trials for cereal crop varieties developed for organic and low-input production systems. These trials require organically managed sites to obtain valid results. Shutting down the program will likely result in destruction of these plots. Eliminating testing under organic conditions will deprive organic farmers of data needed to choose the best variety for their farms, and will likely result in less breeding for organic production. The loss of this research could have much further-reaching consequences. If economic conditions and/or supply chains restrict access to fertilizer and chemicals for manufacturing pesticides, or certain weeds become multi-resistant to pesticides, non-organic farmers will also benefit from varieties developed for organic production.
The Report highlights Steven Cole, Mayor of Indian Head, SK who said “it would be a mistake to assume that the reduction in public-sector agricultural research can be taken over by the private sector.” He added private research would pay less attention to environmental sustainability, soil health or long-term economic resilience, and the cost would be passed on to farmers through higher seed prices.
The Committee reiterated the harmful effects of the cuts on the livestock industry stated by several witnesses from Alberta to Atlantic Canada. Their testimony emphasizes how well our existing network of AAFC research facilities integrates plant breeding (forage crops and barley disease resistance), sustainable grazing in a wide range of soils and growing conditions, meat quality research, and feed impacts on animal health, climate change and food safety to benefit production, trade, and returns for farmers across the entire country.
The Committee recognizes the value of the wide geographic network of the research facilities and makes three linked recommendations calling for preserving the unique and critical research programs that cannot be replicated elsewhere, prioritizing research conducted in actual agricultural conditions and ensuring research centres provide representative access to the diversity of agricultural soils across the country.
The impact of the announced cuts has caused severe disruption to the lives and work of affected employees, their co-workers and communities. The Committee notes the communication restrictions AAFC has placed on affected employees, and recommends they should be able to publicly raise concerns about situations that they deem to be detrimental to the public interest. To put the other Committee recommendations into action, respectfully including the knowledge, experience, and expertise of scientists, technicians, labourers, and support staff who carry out the work of the research facilities and programs is needed.
“We are in the midst of a climate crisis. New pathogens, new insects, and changing weather patterns are coming into play,” said Manitoba farmer Wayne James. “We need public research more than ever to do the research and plant breeding to deal with these new challenges.”
The National Farmers Union recognizes the Committee’s serious consideration and careful attention to the information and concerns raised during the Study. We urge Minister MacDonald to adopt the Committee’s recommendations to reverse the cuts and rebuild our public agriculture research capacity as soon as possible.
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For more information, please contact:
- Phil Mount, NFU Vice President, Policy: 343-262-5911; vp-policy@nfu.ca
- Dean Harder, NFU member, Lowe Farm, Manitoba: 204-797-6388; projuter@gmail.com
- Dave Gehl, NFU member, Indian Head, Saskatchewan: 306-533-1072
- Wayne James, NFU member, Manitoba – PH: 204-268-4980
Further resources:
- National Farmers Union Brief to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee Study on Science in Canadian Agriculture and the Closure of Research Centres
- Impact of AAFC Budget Cuts on Organic Research – brief jointly submitted by Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network, Canada Organic Trade Association, Canadian Organic Growers, National Farmers Union, Organic Federation of Canada, SaskOrganics and SeedChange
- Report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food – Science in Canadian Agriculture and the Closure of Research Centres
