By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Friday July 15, 2022

Jul 15, 2022 | 10:23 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — A genomic sequencing project will find ways to protect and conserve the Wood Bison population in Canada.

The overall goal of the Bison Integrated Genomics (BIG) is to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse bison population that includes long-term sustainable genetic diversity.

The BIG project primary objectives include creating diagnostic tools to individually identify the presence of bovine Brucella/Tuberculosis in bison populations and develop a vaccine, refine genomic tools to identify the genetic composition of bison herds and transfer healthy germplasm for greater genetic diversity within the wood bison population.

Genome Prairie and Genome Canada will provide $5.1 million to fund the BIG project. This includes $1.7 million in federal support from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada through Genome Canada and $2.1 million through Parks Canada.

The BIG project has additional support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, and the Toronto Zoo.

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The federal government has expanded a program to include the agricultural sector in coming up with solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said there are nine new Living Labs in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador at a cost of $54 million.

Each lab, which brings together farmers and scientists, will focus on identifying technologies and on-farm management practices that can be adopted by farmers across Canada to tackle climate change.

Bibeau said farmers are on the front lines of climate change and the aim is to get research out of the lab and onto real working farms.

She said the goal is to have at least one project in each province and further announcements are to be made shortly.

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is making it easier for individuals and businesses to find information on permits, licences, and approvals through a new web tool.

The Permissions Finder helps businesses and individuals find the information they need when conducting import, export, or domestic activity with food, plants, or animals in Canada.

The tool will ask a few guided questions and give tailored information that’s relevant to the products.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW