Producer and industry organisations from across Canada, including Grain Farmers of Ontario, have called for a national plant breeding strategy that works for every crop, region and farmer, releasing a joint vision titled 'A National Plant Breeding Strategy Must Work for Every Crop'.
The statement is endorsed by groups including the Atlantic Grains Council, Producteurs de grains du Quebec, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Bean Growers, Ontario Canola Growers Association, Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers and Prairie Oat Growers Association.
They argue that public breeding matters most for crops whose market size and royalties do not attract much private investment, naming oats, food-grade soybeans, wheat and barley grown in Eastern Canada, canola grown in Ontario and some pulses, including dry beans. A new variety often takes more than a decade to reach the field.
"Plant breeding is an investment in the future of Canadian agriculture," said Jeff Harrison, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario.
The groups want renewed, multi-year federal investment ahead of the 2028 funding framework, since funding for breeding programmes supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is due to lapse in 2028 while varieties now in the pipeline will need years more testing.
The story is based on the groups' statement carried by AgroPages.
Photo: Paul Harrison / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: AgroPages
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