Announcements last week demonstrate the Canadian government's continued support for agriculture research.

As innovation is one of the keys to our success, Canada's poultry industry shares the government's commitment to research, according to Turkey Farmers of Canada. Research allows these sectors to grow as farmers look for more and new ways to make our products even better and to respond to evolving consumer preferences.

In recognition of the importance of research, the five national poultry organisations established the Canadian Poultry Research Council (CPRC) in 2001, with a mandate to implement research that addresses current and future needs of the poultry sectors. To date, CPRC members have approved nearly C$3.0 million in research funding through the CPRC.

David Fuller, Chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada, said: "Canadian poultry and egg farmers have earned the trust of Canadians by continually committing to programs in research, food safety and animal care. We will continue to work closely with the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, CPRC and other stakeholders to ensure that we remain responsive to the needs of the industry, and innovative through our ongoing support of poultry research."

Through CPRC, the industry coordinates and enhances the poultry research effort in Canada, securing funding and establishing poultry research priorities. The government support for the poultry agri-science cluster under the Growing Canadian Agri-Innovations Program has allowed CPRC to focus a critical mass of scientific resources on the industry's priority issues.

Bruce Roberts, CPRC's new Executive Director, said: "CPRC looks forward to working with AAFC to strengthen and deepen the poultry cluster."

Jack Greydanus, Chair of the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, added: "Research has always been a strong priority for poultry and egg producers. We have always been in favour of science-based approaches to improve our industries in a wide array of areas."

Canada's poultry farmers are supportive of new research and technologies that will bring further improvements to our production systems and, by extension, added value to the food chain and human health.

The five founding members of CPRC are: Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Egg Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada and Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council.