The Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Member of Parliament for Labrador, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced an investment that will help turn these by-products into green energy and fertiliser.
"Often the products left over from production processes have value that can create important economic opportunities for producers," said Minister Penashue.
"With this investment, our government is helping to enhance the competiveness of Canadian producers in an environmentally sustainable way."
With this total investment of C$458,000, the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture (NLFA) and Glenview Farms will lead three projects:
• C$170,000 will allow the NLFA to look at the feasibility of creating a concentrated liquid fertiliser from salmon by-products, which could improve soil quality and overall crop performance in both organic and traditional systems.
• C$124,400 will help the NLFA determine the feasibility of using anaerobic digestion technology to recycle organic matter into fertiliser and biogas that can be used as an energy source.
• C$163,600 will allow Glenview Farms to study the use of a filter press process that will extract the water from dairy cattle manure to create a more effective liquid fertiliser and more easily compostable solid waste.
These projects will help farmers find cost-effective and environmentally sustainable approaches to managing their organic waste products and could reduce Newfoundland's dependency on imported fertilisers. Once tested, these new methods and products could benefit producers across Canada.
"These are important initiatives which deal with the challenges facing industry in an innovative way," said NLFA president Eugene Legge. "It is great to see solutions that also have environmental benefits."
"We are very excited about the potential results from this collaborative research project. The envisioned technology and partnerships represent an innovative approach to enhancing the day-to-day farm operations in an environmentally sound manner, while ensuring the sector remains competitive," said Robert Walsh, President of Glenview Farms Inc.
"This type of project will not only have a significant impact on the way we run our operation but can have a positive impact on the agriculture sector as a whole."
The projects are supported through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), a five-year, C$163-million initiative to help the Canadian agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive. The Newfoundland and Labrador Agri-Adapt Council Inc. delivers the regional component of CAAP in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Harper Government remains focused on research and innovation to improve the agri-food sector's ability to seize new market opportunities and is committed to supporting industry leadership that stimulates business development and competitiveness through the new Growing Forward 2 policy framework.
