Government Of Canada Invests Nearly $1.1 Million In The Dairy Industry

March 28, 2008

From left to right are Tobique-Mactaquac MP Mike Allen, New Brunswick Agricultural Council Chair Paul Vautour, Atlantic Grains Council Vice-Chair Winston Johnston and Wiebe Dykstra, Executive Director of the Atlantic Forage and Dairy Institute.

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick - The Government of Canada is committed to driving research and development which improves economic returns for Canadian agriculture as a whole. The announcement of nearly $1.1 million in funding to help dairy farmers was made today by Mike Allen, Member of Parliament for Tobique-Mactaquac, on behalf of the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board.

"The Government of Canada is continuously working to provide farmers with new and innovative technologies that boost the economy and protect the environment," said Mr. Allen. "This investment in the dairy and feed grain sectors will result in healthier and more productive dairy cattle with greener and healthier products for consumers."

• The $1,097,005 in funding announced today under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program includes: $525,000 to the Atlantic Grains Council, working with the Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute, to determine the processing requirements for using flax as a supplement for dairy feed;
• $450,975 to the Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute to develop a Greenhouse Gas Calculator for the Canadian dairy industry. The calculator will be used by dairy farmers to determine greenhouse gas emissions and to compare production efficiency to other farmers;
• $69,250 to determine the necessary facility and service improvements required at the Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute, a non-profit research institute managed by dairy farmers; and
• $51,780 to the Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute to help raise awareness of its research, production information and testing services to dairy farmers and agri-businesses in North America.
  

"Dairy farmers and grain and oilseed producers are closely linked and both are proactive industries in creating new opportunities and protecting the environment," said Paul Vautour, Chair of the New Brunswick Agricultural Council. "These projects will support them in their continued commitment to quality and innovation, and environmental sustainability."

For more information on ACAAF, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/acaaf.