From the Editor: March 2011
I clearly remember the professor of my first class in animal nutrition
saying, “the challenge for animal nutritionists is to keep up with the
animal geneticists.”
I clearly remember the professor of my first class in animal nutrition saying, “the challenge for animal nutritionists is to keep up with the animal geneticists.”
In the poultry industry, dedicated work by geneticists has allowed for remarkable progress – we now have a broiler chicken that can produce one gram of breast meat from only nine grams of feed. Fifty-plus years ago, it took 28 grams of feed to produce the same amount of breast meat.
The challenge for nutritionists (as well as producers) has not only been to provide a nutrient-dense diet to meet increasing growth rates and rates of lay, but also to cope with the fact that each genetic strain is increasingly specific.
But nutritionists have more tools available to them to deal with genetic progress, and they could soon use these to their advantage. As pointed out in our cover story (page 11), now that the genome of the chicken has been mapped, more efficient utilization of nutrients can be achieved through the use of applied molecular biology and gene expression.
More efficient growth is not only achievable, but necessary. We are currently facing a similar situation to what we did in 2008: energy costs are skyrocketing, competition for feedstuffs is increasing, and grain supply forecasts and commodity futures are changing almost daily, which is causing another global food crisis.
According to a new report, Canada’s Agri-Food Destination, released by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), Canada needs a major overhaul with respect to agricultural policy in order to contribute more food to global markets, as well as feed our own.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) agrees. It is currently finalizing its National Food Strategy, which outlines a plan to decrease the risk of Canada becoming reliant on food imports while maintaining the sustainability and profitability of our food supply.
Both the CAPI and CFA strategies for overhauling our food system state that policies designed to keep food cheap have not only wreaked havoc for domestic production, but also caused a health epidemic (increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease) that is crippling our health-care system.
Both parties agree that members of our food and health systems need to work more closely together, and Canada must increase its export potential. Environmental sustainability is also key, as is bringing together all stakeholders, including producers, processors, retailers and policy makers, at the same table.
So how does the poultry industry play a role in these strategies? Neither the CAPI nor the CFA strategy speaks directly to supply management. In fact, at first glance, it seems as though the focus is export commodities only, to “level the playing field” with respect to the import and export policies of other countries, which could affect our position at the World Trade Organization.
However, both strategies speak to the importance of domestic production. The CAPI report outlines a goal of having Canada produce 75 per cent of its own food by 2025. The CFA strategy focuses on branding Canada-made products to international as well as Canadian consumers.
But to continue providing consumers with an affordable, nutritious product at a time when competition for inputs and energy costs will only continue to increase, and to become more efficient, the poultry industry must capitalize on the resources available to it.
We can all do our part by taking advantage of the annual meeting season to talk with researchers, government representatives, and even fellow producers, and determine how the industry can do more with less.
In the poultry industry, dedicated work by geneticists has allowed for remarkable progress – we now have a broiler chicken that can produce one gram of breast meat from only nine grams of feed. Fifty-plus years ago, it took 28 grams of feed to produce the same amount of breast meat.
The challenge for nutritionists (as well as producers) has not only been to provide a nutrient-dense diet to meet increasing growth rates and rates of lay, but also to cope with the fact that each genetic strain is increasingly specific.
But nutritionists have more tools available to them to deal with genetic progress, and they could soon use these to their advantage. As pointed out in our cover story (page 11), now that the genome of the chicken has been mapped, more efficient utilization of nutrients can be achieved through the use of applied molecular biology and gene expression.
More efficient growth is not only achievable, but necessary. We are currently facing a similar situation to what we did in 2008: energy costs are skyrocketing, competition for feedstuffs is increasing, and grain supply forecasts and commodity futures are changing almost daily, which is causing another global food crisis.
According to a new report, Canada’s Agri-Food Destination, released by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), Canada needs a major overhaul with respect to agricultural policy in order to contribute more food to global markets, as well as feed our own.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) agrees. It is currently finalizing its National Food Strategy, which outlines a plan to decrease the risk of Canada becoming reliant on food imports while maintaining the sustainability and profitability of our food supply.
Both the CAPI and CFA strategies for overhauling our food system state that policies designed to keep food cheap have not only wreaked havoc for domestic production, but also caused a health epidemic (increasing rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease) that is crippling our health-care system.
Both parties agree that members of our food and health systems need to work more closely together, and Canada must increase its export potential. Environmental sustainability is also key, as is bringing together all stakeholders, including producers, processors, retailers and policy makers, at the same table.
So how does the poultry industry play a role in these strategies? Neither the CAPI nor the CFA strategy speaks directly to supply management. In fact, at first glance, it seems as though the focus is export commodities only, to “level the playing field” with respect to the import and export policies of other countries, which could affect our position at the World Trade Organization.
However, both strategies speak to the importance of domestic production. The CAPI report outlines a goal of having Canada produce 75 per cent of its own food by 2025. The CFA strategy focuses on branding Canada-made products to international as well as Canadian consumers.
But to continue providing consumers with an affordable, nutritious product at a time when competition for inputs and energy costs will only continue to increase, and to become more efficient, the poultry industry must capitalize on the resources available to it.
We can all do our part by taking advantage of the annual meeting season to talk with researchers, government representatives, and even fellow producers, and determine how the industry can do more with less.