AGRI Committee Report

CHAPTER 7: SCIENCE AND INNOVATION

The Committee’s hearings revealed unanimous agreement that research and development (R&D) are needed in agriculture. Everyone, regardless of sector or participant, acknowledged that the excellence of Canadian agriculture was the result of R&D and that that excellence will continue as long as science and innovation are pursued. However, the bad news about the role of government in research and funding for public research is that both have dwindled to a point which many agri-food stakeholders consider disturbing. Although the division of research activities between the public and private sectors affords efficient synergies, it is still imperative that the government maintain a research program that reflects the public interest. There is a "critical mass" of research that must come from the public sector, where the peer review system for the awarding of research grants based on merit is recognized as rigorous. However, the level of funding in this field is deficient.

It is public knowledge that the Research Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is undergoing a significant restructuring, which has raised considerable concern in the agricultural community. A country striving for excellence which bases its development on science and innovation cannot afford to fall too far behind in R&D, particularly in agriculture, which is developing at the accelerated pace of discoveries in biotechnology and other more traditional innovations. Committee members frequently heard witnesses claim that scientific and technological progress had accelerated to the point where they sometimes doubted the government’s ability to properly assess the impact of new applications.

As is clearly acknowledged in the Agricultural Policy Framework, “The research component of innovation includes government research centres, colleges and universities, and private-sector laboratories.”⁵ The government also acknowledges that it is imperative to strengthen ties between the components and to “foster a business environment that is conducive to research and development, and that encourages public and private funding of agricultural research and the early application of research results.”⁶ However, the policy statement is vague on the leadership or executive role the government will play. Much research, both basic and applied, must remain in the public domain in order to serve the public interest. This entire research component must also receive adequate funding. Consequently:

RECOMMENDATION 26

Whereas there is a critical mass of research that must aim to serve the public interest, the Committee recommends that the government play a leadership role and increase budgets intended for government research centres, colleges and universities.

In addition, as biotechnology plays an important role in agriculture, but is also a subject of dispute and concern for farmers and consumers, the government should expand its role in the sector as an arbiter, but also as an information agent. In the organic farming section of this report, the Committee describes the problem of cross-pollinization between organic and bio-engineered crops. This question also raises the problem of biodiversity, which is an important component of the Agricultural Policy Framework. Since the best solution will be achieved through specifically targeted R&D:

RECOMMENDATION 27

The Committee recommends that the government base part of its research and innovation strategy specifically on the effects that bio‑engineered crops could have on the environment and on Canada’s ability to maintain the genetic biodiversity of crops. Furthermore, the government must better inform the public of the various types of crops and the close link between biodiversity and agriculture.

The Committee’s proceedings were marked by a particularly disturbing topic concerning science and innovation. The deans of three of the four faculties of veterinary medicine in the country appeared before the Committee to discuss the problem of underfunding which has resulted in a deterioration of infrastructure to the point where two of the four faculties do not meet international standards and now have a limited timetable within which to bring their infrastructure back up to standard.

Serious consequences are involved in not being at the same certification level as the U.S. faculties of veterinary medicine. The Canadian schools play an important role in protecting the country’s food supply, animal health and public health by conducting research and training veterinarians and professionals with post-graduate degrees who provide specialized services. The main work conducted on animal health research and for the scientific advancement of diagnostic services are conducted in those schools. However, as a result of deficient infrastructure, those schools often have inadequate resources to diagnose, for example, zoonosis, conduct food safety research, develop control measures to protect the health of Canadians and maintain global trade in the agricultural sector. There is no need to recall how important international trade is for farmers. The questions of education and training of veterinarians are of course matters of provincial jurisdiction, but the services of veterinarians touch many critical points of the agricultural and agri-food infrastructure which enable the industry to provide safe and high‑quality products. The current underfunding of the faculties of veterinary medicine is already having an impact and will have other significant effects over the longer term. Not to recognize this fact as a priority goes against the entire food safety and quality component of the Agricultural Policy Framework. If Canada wants to be "the world leader in food safety", it would appear that action to ensure that recognized and adequate veterinary services are in place is strategically necessary and a priority. For that reason:

RECOMMENDATION 28

Whereas, to be a leader in food safety, Canada needs a sufficient number of veterinarians and to maintain their certification, the Committee recommends that the government immediately invest the necessary funds in the infrastructures of the faculties of veterinary medicine to develop their potential and maintain their international certification.