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Agriculture Roundup for Thursday October 12, 2023

Oct 12, 2023 | 2:21 PM

The federal government has entered a $9.8 million partnership with the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) to assist the horticulture industry by enhancing research that protects the environment and helps ensure Canadians have access to high-quality products.

FVGC Vice President Marcus Janzen said he was excited to renew collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the approval of the Canadian AgriScience Cluster for Horticulture 4.

“This significant investment of $17.5 million, including AAFC’s substantial $9.8 million contribution, will be a catalyst for research spanning five commodity groups. This program will bolster our efforts in areas such as climate change mitigation, economic development, and sector resilience,” Janzen said. “Cluster 4 is not merely funding; it’s a commitment to equipping Canadian farmers with the innovative tools they need to produce world-class fruits and vegetables and ensure our sector’s sustainability.”

Research will focus on the development of new varieties, disease management, labour cost-savings, climate resilience, and greener pesticides and energy, with a focus on apples, berries, field vegetables, greenhouse vegetables, and potatoes.

The goal is to reduce the reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, advance innovative technologies, and create new disease control technology.

In 2021, the horticulture sector generated farm-gate revenues of roughly $6.7 billion.

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) will deliver live cattle chain of custody tracking for the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework.

After a two-year review of the program, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) said working with the CCIA will enable consistent implementation of its Chain of Custody Requirements and improve the transparency of live-cattle movement across all CRSB Certified supply chains.

CRSB Certified operations with CLTS accounts will now be able to see the “CRSB Certified” status of their cattle’s identification indicators as those indicators/cattle move through the supply chain.

CRSB Chair Ryan Beierbach said they are pleased to work with CCIA.

“A long-time CRSB member and trusted industry partner, CCIA will provide more clarity of CRSB requirements and allow the greater success of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework,” Beierbach said.

CCIA General Manager Anne Brunet-Burgess they have a great track record in livestock data management, including chain of custody tracking and experience that will strongly benefit this initiative.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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