The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency:

Research Symposium Highlights Province’s Agriculture Industry

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform this Honourable House about a symposium that will take place tomorrow (Friday, November 23) in Corner Brook – a symposium that will give academic leaders and agricultural experts from various institutions the opportunity to discuss the current agricultural research that is being conducted in Newfoundland and Labrador.

This event, aptly titled Our Food, Our Future, will identify opportunities to help strengthen agricultural production and lead the province toward an innovative, profitable and sustainable agricultural industry that includes more than 600 farms and an estimated 816 farm operators. This industry is vitally important to Newfoundland and Labrador, from the contribution it makes to the economies of our rural communities to the fresh local produce it provides to our residents.

Participants in the symposium will hear about the current agricultural research being conducted in the province as well as provincial agricultural research priorities. The symposium aims to foster partnerships among various agencies and organizations and will generate next steps and actionable items.

Mr. Speaker, our new agriculture and agrifoods strategy provided the context for this event. Our Farms, Our Food, Our Future lays the groundwork for the continued growth of this industry in Newfoundland and Labrador. This strategy will be used to help those attending the symposium reach the objectives set down for this event, including the establishment of a shared understanding of provincial agricultural research priorities.

It is our pleasure to join with Memorial University Grenfell Campus and the Research and Development Corporation to host this event in Corner Brook.

Our government is committed to continuing its support of the agriculture and agrifoods sector in Newfoundland and Labrador. We recently concluded negotiations on a new, five-year multilateral framework agreement to replace Growing Forward, which will expire on March 31. The new Growing Forward 2 Agreement will commit more money to Newfoundland and Labrador for strategic initiatives, which could include research and development as well as focus more attention on food safety initiatives. We expect all these initiatives will significantly enhance our ability to grow more of our own food in this province and will contribute to the food security objectives outlined in our strategy.

Mr. Speaker, this industry creates indirect and direct employment for hundreds of people in communities throughout the province. Through long-term planning and events like this symposium we will ensure the industry for future generations.

2012 11 22             1:55 p.m.