SASKATOON, July 16, 2019 /CNW/ - Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) commends the federal government for the important investment announced this morning to the Dairy Research Cluster 3. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, made the announcement at the opening of DFC's Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon.
The Dairy Research Cluster 3 builds on the success of the Dairy Research Cluster 1 and 2 (2010-2018) to stimulate productivity, sustainability and profitability on farms, and to improve knowledge on the health benefits of milk and dairy products. Joint industry and government commitments to the Dairy Research Cluster 3 total $16.5 million, including the contribution of major partners such as Lactanet Canada and Novalait, and $11.4 million from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced today.
"The investment provided to the Dairy Research Cluster 3 is essential to enable strong, robust and evidenced-based research material that ultimately helps dairy farmers increase efficiency of their farm practices, particularly milk production, animal welfare and sustainability," said Pierre Lampron, President of Dairy Farmers of Canada. "Results of these research projects will also contribute to expand knowledge about the health benefits of dairy products. Today's announcement is another important step towards ensuring the continuous improvement of our dairy industry."
"Innovation on Canadian dairy farms requires cutting-edge knowledge of world-class research. Novalait is proud to be a partner of the Dairy Research Cluster 3 to develop this knowledge. This important investment by Novalait in the quality of milk will benefit the entire dairy sector," said Charles Langlois, President of Novalait.
"The research funded as part of this cluster will help Canadian dairy farmers continue to benefit from the most advanced genetic technologies and to optimize genetic progress, with a focus on novel traits emphasizing health, longevity and efficiency, " said Barbara Paquet, Chair of Lactanet Canada.
Investments will be made in 15 research projects to address DFC's strategic research priorities identified in the National Dairy Research Strategy.
A list of all the Dairy Research Cluster 3 projects and investments can be accessed here: www.dairyresearch.ca.
ABOUT DAIRY FARMERS OF CANADA
Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is the national policy, lobbying and promotional organization representing Canada's farmers. DFC strives to create stable conditions for the Canadian dairy sector, today and in the future. It works to maintain policies that foster the viability of Canadian dairy farming and promote dairy products and their health benefits.
SOURCE Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC)
Lucie Boileau, Director of Communications, [email protected], 613-220-1724
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