SHERBROOKE, Canada – Canada’s pork industry is an economic powerhouse, employing tens of thousands of Canadians and contributing billions to Canada’s GDP. As the global demand for pork continues to increase, producers need access to the latest research and technologies to ensure they can get their high-quality products to grocery store shelves in Canada and around the world.
To support and strengthen the pork sector, Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of national revenue, on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, minister of agriculture and agri-food, announced up to $10.6 million to Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
The Cluster seeks to enhance Canada’s leading position in the global pork sector by conducting strategic research initiatives that will advance sustainability, resilience and growth opportunities.
Research activities are expected to:
- Improve understanding of sector environmental and climate performance and strategies to reduce GHGs and environmental impacts;
- Simulate greater productivity and product quality through new insights and technologies;
- Enhance animal welfare and respond to diseases;
- Advance the fight against antimicrobial resistance;
- Enhance the competitiveness of Canadian pork producers and processors.
SIP has successfully delivered the three previous Swine Clusters. Successes of the previous Clusters include feeding strategies to increase productivity, decreased antibiotic use and improved pork quality, new methods to advance biosecurity within the Canadian swine transport industry, and a tool to classify Canadian pork based on quality attributes.
In addition to the Swine Cluster, minister Bibeau also announced $1 million through the Greening Government Fund (GGF) to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to replace the ventilation system and controls at the Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre’s swine barn with heat recovery fans capable of higher efficiency.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat provides funding for projects under the GGF, a component of the Greening Government Strategy, which outlines targets to reduce the GHG emissions from federal operations. AAFC has also received $835,000 from the GGF to replace the current oil-based heating system in the Normandin Research Farm’s main building with a pellet biomass heating system to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
