The Government of Canada has announced $7.5 million in funding to Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) as part of the next Dairy Research Cluster.
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The funding is provided through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership AgriScience Program, specifically Dairy Research Cluster 4, which is meant to find environmental, economic and social improvements in the Canadian dairy sector.
Why it matters: There are numerous questions about how the dairy sector will get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and this research should provide some of those answers.
The $7.5 million in funding is down from $11.6 million in funding from AAFC for the previous five-year Dairy Research Cluster 3. The total public and private investment in Cluster 3 was $16.5 million.
The total expected to be spent on Cluster 4 projects is $13 million including government and industry funding.
DFC has previously worked with dairy genetics company Lactanet and Quebec dairy initiative Novalait to develop a strategic five-year vision for the dairy sector.
DFC has announced that investments will be fund 13 projects to address research
priorities. They will focus on areas such as:
- Greenhouse gas reduction
- Carbon sequestration
- Addressing antimicrobial use and resistance and animal health
- Genetic improvement
- Innovation and eco-efficient dairy processing
Over the four clusters, the focus of the funding has gradually evolved to climate change and the environment from productivity-based research.
A representative from AAFC said in an email that all cluster applications were assessed on the same criteria, but the amount of $7.5 million was reached “following the review of the DFC’s cluster proposal and consultation with AAFC experts,” and that the “Approved activities were deemed to bring a new and innovative perspective with sound research methodologies and achievable results.”
The funding is intended to help the goal of reaching net-zero emissions in the sector by 2050.
According to a July 11 press release from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, (AAFC) “DFC will undertake research which will provide solutions to improve the environmental and economic sustainability, and resilience of the Canadian dairy industry.”
Pierre Lampron, who recently stepped down as DFC president, called the investment “essential to enable robust and evidenced-based research that ultimately supports Canadian dairy farmers.” He also said that it “reinforces the work (they) are doing within the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership and supports another important step towards carbon neutrality.”
Farm Credit Canada also recently announced an initiative which will reward dairy farmers who are its customers and meet sustainability requirements with an incentive payment of up to $2,000 starting in September.
Dairy farmers who are Farm Credit Canada (FCC) customers and meet sustainability requirements will be able to access an incentive payment of up to $2,000 starting September.
