Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan receive $275,000 investment

July 24, 2014 – The Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan has been given an investment of $275,000 to undertake a research project on disease control from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

The announcement was made today by Member of Parliament Brad Trost, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, in Saskatoon.

With this investment, the Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan aims to identify and characterize new variants of the avian reovirus and determine how they are transmitted. It also aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) in field trials.

This project is a step in the development of vaccines for avian reovirus and IBH, two diseases which are a common problem for many broiler producers. If commercialized, these vaccines have the potential of reducing economic losses in the Canadian broiler chicken industry and the need for therapeutics by preventing instead of treating these diseases.

Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan Chair Diane Pastoor said the organization is “excited to receive this investment to advance research and development into safe and effective vaccines for the Canadian poultry industry.” The research will be conducted through the University of Saskatchewan by Dr. Susantha Gomis and will assist the industry in improving flock health and reducing the usage of antibiotics, she said. 

This investment is made through the Industry-led Research and Development stream of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriInnovation Program, a five-year, up to $698-million initiative under Growing Forward 2.