April 27, 2023

Ontario government invests US$9.9 million in poultry research centre

The Ontario, Canada provincial government has announced it is investing CND 13.5 million (~US$9.9 million; CND 1 = US$0.74) in a new poultry research centre in Elora town, Wellington County, to advance research and spur innovation for the poultry industry, Farms.com reported.

A memorandum of understanding to invest in a new Ontario Poultry Research Centre was signed by the Ontario Government, the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO), the University of Guelph, and the four boards representing the province's poultry industry, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, and the Turkey Farmers of Ontario.

Lisa Thompson, Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), said this research centre will give the poultry industry the knowledge and tools it needs to stay competitive while boosting the economy, creating jobs, and guaranteeing supply chain security.

The facility will support animal welfare, reproduction, nutrition, meat quality, and safety through Ontario-led agri-food research. In order to promote the adoption of novel, safer, healthier, and more effective methods for raising animals and managing production on farms, findings will be disseminated to poultry farmers and the larger poultry industry.

Dr Malcolm Campbell, vice president (research) at the University of Guelph, said the Centre will provide University of Guelph researchers with the facilities and resources to conduct purpose-driven research on pressing industry challenges, supporting strong and stable poultry production across the province by improving animal health and welfare, food safety, and production efficiency.

More than 1,200 chicken and turkey producers, as well as 432 egg farmers, are part of Ontario's poultry industry, and they will all gain from the cutting-edge research and cutting-edge technologies that will be housed onsite. Construction on the new centre will start in 2024 and end in 2026.

The poultry industry in Ontario helped the economy of the province in 2021 to the tune of CND 1.8 billion (~US$1.3 billion).

The Poultry Research Centre of Excellence will help to further establish Ontario as a leader in innovation, sustainability, animal welfare, and food safety, said Murray Opsteen, chairman of Chicken Farmers of Ontario.

-      Farms.com