Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz had to defend his government's record on public agricultural research at this week's debate on agricultural issues.
NDP Ag Critic Malcolm Allen accuses the government of relying too much on private industry research.
He argues the kind of research private industry is interested in doing is not always what farmers need.
Liberal critic Mark Eyking suggests the government needs to be listening to farmers and farm organisations to find out what research they want, then bring in the scientists and give them the resources they need to get the job done.
Ritz says the government has fine-tuned public research to make it more effective and efficient.
He says every sector and every region is still represented in the research the government is involved in.
This week's agricultural issues debate was hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
There's a copy of that debate will be posted on the CFA's website.
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Federal Liberal Agriculture Critic Mark Eyking suggests his party would listen to farmers and farm organisations to find out what kind of public research the industry needs.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EYKING-Res-1.mp3"][/audio]
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Federal NDP Agriculture Critic Malcolm Allen is critical of what he sees as the Conservative government's moves to reduce agricultural research and leaving more of it to be done by private industry.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ALLEN-Res-2.mp3"][/audio]
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Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz argues research changes hasn't meant cuts, just a fine-tuning of the system.
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/RITZ-Res-3.mp3"][/audio]
