21 March 2011

2 minute read

North America

Small Business and Tourism Minister of State Rob Moore (Fundy Royal), announced an investment of more than $950,000 for the Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute (ADFI).

"The Government of Canada is continuously working to provide farmers with new and innovative technologies that boost the economy and protect the environment," said Minister of State Moore. "We're proud of the efforts by Canada's dairy farmers to protect our natural resources while ensuring the highest quality products for consumers."

This investment, delivered through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), will be used to support a dairy greenhouse gas pilot project on 100 dairy farms in New Brunswick and Alberta. The project involves field testing methods developed by the Atlantic Dairy and Forage Institute to evaluate the potential for new revenue generation for the dairy industry through the offer of carbon offsets in Canada. The project will also help dairy farmers collect and share carbon emission data which will be used to provide estimates of potential greenhouse gas reductions for Canada's entire dairy industry.

"The ADFI has developed a Greenhouse Gas calculator for the Canadian dairy industry which will help determine potential greenhouse gas reductions and demonstrate that Canadian Dairy Farmers are excellent environmental stewards, " said Wiebe Dykstra, Chairman of the ADFI. "This supports our mandate of researching today for a sustainable and environmentally friendly dairy industry tomorrow."

CAAP is a $163 million national initiative that aims to help the Canadian agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive. Eligible CAAP projects could be in areas of traceability, environment, climate change, capacity development, pests and diseases, and more. This investment is subject to the signing of a contribution agreement.

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