The Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) will receive more than CAD6 million (US$5.9 million) to lead a research cluster of industry experts, scientists and universities to help beef producers remain on the cutting edge.

"Our producers are always finding new ways to run their operations more efficiently and we're proud to work with them to make sure our Canadian industry can tap new market opportunities making them more productive and more competitive," Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said.

According to plans, the Beef Cluster will pull together the scientific expertise for research that will help Canada's beef and cattle industry address challenges the sector has faced in recent years. Research will focus on: reducing production costs, increasing feed efficiency and decreasing the impact of animal health issues. The cluster will also work to increase demand for Canadian beef, both in Canada and around the world.

The beef industry contributing nearly CAD25 billion (US$24 billion) to the Canadian economy annually and is the largest source of farm cash receipts. Canada is the fourth-largest cattle and beef exporter in the world, representing 11% of global exports in 2008.

Funding for the Cluster comes from the Agri-Innovations programme, a CAD158 million (US$154 million), five-year programme announced last May to support industry-led science and technology projects.