News Release: Province renews funding for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

Guelph ON, 9 November 2023 – The governments of Canada and Ontario have reached a $2 million funding agreement with Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC). The agreement will provide support for LRIC’s activities, on behalf of the livestock sector, for the next five years, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

“This Sustainable CAP funding will help the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation drive innovation within the sector,” says the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “The Government of Canada has been working hard to support livestock producers and processors in maintaining a profitable, sustainable, and competitive agriculture and agri-food sector.”

“Our government will continue to support the Ontario livestock sector by taking innovative actions to strengthen its production capacity, resilience and sustainability. We value the work of the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation and look forward to continuing work with LRIC. The outcomes of this investment will make significant contributions towards the ambitious goals we have set out for the province’s agriculture and food sector in our Grow Ontario Strategy,” says Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

This funding agreement will allow LRIC to continue its work in several areas. These include industry intelligence- gathering, stakeholder engagement and collaboration, providing research services and activities supporting knowledge mobilization and Getting Research into Practice. This agreement also helps support the Grow Ontario Strategy to strengthen the agri-food sector, fuel economic growth, ensure an efficient, reliable, and responsive food supply and address ongoing agri-food sector vulnerabilities through new innovations.

For LRIC members, this includes an end-to-end research management and support system, communication of research discoveries in the context of the realities of the livestock industry, creating collaboration and cross-sector opportunities, and identifying and raising awareness of emerging trends affecting the livestock industry.

“Ontario’s livestock industry is a key pillar of Ontario’s economy, environment and food security, and we appreciate the provincial government’s ongoing support of our sector through the renewal of this critical funding agreement,” says Don Gordon, dairy farmer and Chair of LRIC. “Our focus is to drive innovation in the livestock sector, and we value OMAFRA’s partnership in helping us achieve this shared vision, which is a central element of the province’s Grow Ontario strategy.”

LRIC’s founding members include Beef Farmers of Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Pork, Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, and Turkey Farmers of Ontario. An additional 13 livestock organizations and businesses are partner members.

“Part of LRIC’s role is to work toward impactful improvements of the innovation system,” says Jim White, Chair of LRIC’s International Research Advisory Committee. “Improving the system can only happen when industry, government and academia collaborate with a common objective in mind, with the goal to develop new technologies, practices and solutions for the agri-food sector.”

“LRIC is an important University of Guelph partner when it comes to supporting research in the livestock sector and we appreciate their ongoing efforts to help build relationships and linkages between faculty and farmers,” says Dr. Rene Van Acker, Acting Vice President of Research at the University of Guelph. “This helps us ensure our research activities continue to be relevant and help support the ongoing competitiveness and strength of the sector.”

Established in 2012, with financial support from Ontario’s beef, pork, dairy and poultry sector organizations and OMAFRA, Livestock Research Innovation Corporation’s mission is driving innovation. The organization takes a value chain approach to research and innovation by providing leadership in research priority setting, coordination and process, identifying and communicating emerging issues, and strengthening networks across the sector.

Sustainable CAP is a five-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness and resiliency of the agriculture, agri?food and agri?based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.

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For more information:
Mike McMorris, LRIC CEO, 519-766-5464