Feds fund research on genetic markers
The federal government has provided more than $575,000 from the Agricultural Innovation Program for Delta Genomics Centre in Edmonton to accelerate the adoption of new genetic profiling tools.
The tools identify SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), which are genetic markers that can be tracked between parents and their offspring. They would identify traits such as meat quality, animal health and feed efficiency.
“This project is an essential stepping stone to get the benefits of genomics into the hands of producers on the ground,” Colin Coros, vice-president of operations of Delta Genomics Centre said in a government release. “It will allow our project partners to adopt a new sire identification tool, which is fundamental to using more in depth DNA profiles for genetic improvement of Canadian cattle.”
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CFIA to open “Centres for Expertise”
staff / The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is opening 16 “Centres for Expertise,” including two in Calgary, in a bid to get all of its inspectors on the same regulatory page.
The centres “will provide interpretation and guidance” to front-line staff, said Paul Mayers, the agency’s associate vice-president for policies and programs.
The agency has been operating under a “dispersed model” in which inspectors in different parts of the country go to different places for regulatory interpretation, he said.
“The challenge that we have in the dispersed model is that it’s possible therefore for an inspector in one part of the country to get subtly different interpretation provided,” Mayers said. “We want to avoid that where we can. We want to have consistent interpretation.”
The locations for the various centres were partly determined by the local concentration of related industries and academic experts.
“We want to be able to tap into other experts outside of government,” Mayers said.
Calgary is to be home to the centres for red meat slaughter and foreign animal disease and emergency management expertise. The former was a natural fit while the latter reflects the fact that recent foreign disease events — including BSE and avian influenza — have occurred in Western Canada.
The centres were announced as part of the 2012 federal budget and are part of “modernization effort” aimed at ensuring more efficient and consistent delivery of inspection services, he said.
”We’ve seen where inconsistency can contribute to a bit of confusion,” Mayers said.
