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The union representing workers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and some farming groups are firing back at Ottawa over abrupt job cuts and closures.
The Agriculture Union said Monday the decision to shutter seven of the department’s research operations will set the sector back by decades.
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“We have been warning the federal government for months about cutting an already-decimated department. There is simply no more room to cut,” Milton Dyck, national president of the Agriculture Union, said in a news release.
“While our partner nation to the south is slashing research, we should not be.”
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced last week it is closing seven of its research operations to reduce the size of the public service.
The centres set for closure are in Guelph, Ont., Quebec City and Lacombe, Alta., along with four satellite research farms across Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Established in 1887, the research farms in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia are among Canada’s first facilities, the union says.
“The research centres slated for closure were responsible for breakthrough discoveries in sustainable beef production, crop sustainability, food safety and nutrition and no-till farming,” it said.
SaskOrganics said a program dedicated to organic and regenerative practices in Swift Current, southwest of Regina, is ending.
The organization said the program’s long-term field trials have provided immense value to producers across Canada. Some of the work addressed diseases, grasshopper control, using beneficial insects to kill pests and evaluating certain types of wheat.
“Regardless of the discipline or focus, the loss of agricultural research capacity represents a significant blow to Canada’s food system — one that affects the farmers who produce our food and, ultimately, every Canadian who relies on agriculture for daily nourishment,” SaskOrganics said.
Keith Currie, the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said in an interview his organization will push Ottawa to not shut down vital programs.
Currie said it’s possible projects could continue in other facilities should they no longer be done at the centres slated for closure.
“We don’t know exactly yet what the government has in mind,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s the kind of thing that they’re looking at … where can we stop duplication of research to better use the money that’s out there.”
Currie said government research over the last century has provided farmers with valuable insights.
“You look at facilities like Indian Head (in Saskatchewan), where probably up to 25 per cent of our seed varieties and production have come out of that facility,” he said.
Serge Buy, the CEO of the Agri-Food Innovation Council, said the loss of research will have consequences.
“Historically, agricultural research has delivered some of the highest returns on investment of any economic sector,” Buy said in a statement.
“At a time when food prices are rising and food security concerns are growing, expanding our innovation capacity is essential.”
The Agriculture Union said this round of cuts affect roughly 500 members, while the department says 665 department positions have been reduced and close to 1,050 employees received notices.
Dyck said the union was given no advance notice of the cuts, learning of them at the same time as its members.
“Our members are reeling,” it said. “AAFC has an obligation to consult with the union throughout this whole process.”
— with files from Fakiha Baig in Edmonton
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