Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay today announced a federal investment of up to $8.3 million to the Organic Federation of Canada, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, AgriScience Clusters.
The research investment, which includes an additional $4.4 million in contributions from industry, will help the organic sector enhance productivity through better soil health and fertility management, advance crop breeding research, improve pest management, and evaluate the environmental impacts of organic farm practices.
“Demand for our world-class Canadian organic products continues to grow around the world and our Government is proud to support our organic farmers and food processors so they can meet that demand,” said MacAulay. “Today’s significant investment into the science of organic agriculture will help our organic farmers grow more and grow better. And, we are pleased to support the Canadian Organic Standards, which are the backbone of the organic industry.”
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Minister MacAulay also announced an additional investment of $292,555 to the Organic Federation of Canada under the federal Canadian Agricultural Adaptation program. The funding will assist industry in streamlining the review process of the Canadian Organic Standards and improve the Canadian organic industry’s competitiveness and international market access. This funding builds upon the $250,000 announced by the Minister on January 26, towards the Canadian General Standards Board to complete the 2020 review of the Canadian Organic Standards.
“The Organic Federation of Canada is very pleased with AAFC’s commitment to develop Canadian organic agriculture science and sustainability. This funding will allow researchers to continue improving the sustainability of agricultural practices, which is at the heart of organic production,” said James Robbins, President, Organic Federation of Canada. “The Canadian Organic Sustainability Framework supports the entire organic value-chain and review of the Canadian Organic Standards, which is essential for maintaining our integrity and competitiveness on the world stage. We value the Government of Canada as a partner of choice for the Canadian organic sector.”
Today’s announcement is part of MacAulay’s ‘Growing Canadian Agriculture’ tour, where he will meet with farmers, processors and industry leaders, as well as participate in rural agricultural events across the country, to hear ideas on how to capture new growth opportunities for the sector.
