August 5, 2020

Ontario, Canada invests US$1.7 million in livestock health

The government of Ontario will invest CND 2.35 million (~US$1.7 million; CND 1 = US$0.75) towards research into livestock health as well as boosting productivity and competitiveness in the sector.

The research also aims to provide the latest knowledge and on-farm solutions for farmers to safely manage their livestock.

The Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the government of Ontario and the University of Guelph will fund the research.

Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said the research is one of the government's measures to improve the Ontario's livestock sector productivity and competitiveness.

The research covers several projects, including identifying genetic markers to reduce disease and infections in sheep and cows, improving access to veterinary services and support in rural and remote areas, developing a surveillance program for milk tanks on dairy farms, examining newborn milk in the development of neonatal dairy calves, evaluating novel methods to prevent bovine respiratory disease, identifying disease-causing pathogens in sheep and goats, validating the use of probiotics to support the health of multiple livestock species, and investigating alternative control measures for E. coli diarrhea in swine.

Malcolm Campbell, Vice-President (Research) of the University of Guelph said the research aims to develop real-world solutions to support Ontario's livestock industry competitiveness, safeguards the province's production of safe, sustainable, and nutritious food and promote innovation with a positive, global impact.

The allocated CND 2.35 million (~US$1.7 million) is part of a CND 8.65 million (~US$6.5 million) annual investment from the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, which supports University of Guelph research.

Ontario's swine, ruminant, dairy, poultry and egg sectors are worth CND 16.4 billion (~US$12.3 billion) to the GDP and employs 323,000 workers.

-      Government of Ontario