In association with the APRC, is the new Chute Animal Nutrition Centre (feed mill) that enables precise mixing of rations for poultry research trials, and the new isolated hatchery unit located nearby at the Perennia Innovation Park.

The Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre was launched in 2000 but had been operational since 1994 as the Animal Welfare Unit. The center works to improve the welfare of animals through services, research and education.

Partner FacilitiesAPRI is very fortunate to have two partner facilities: Atlantic Poultry Research Centre (APRC) located at DalAC campus in Bible Hill, NS and the AVC at UPEI in Charlottetown, PE including the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre. The majority of APRI funded research is conducted through the APRC, a $13 million state-of-the-art research facility opened in 2007 as a result of financial investment from industry and both levels of government. It has research capabilities and resources that extend from basic production research through animal slaughter, value-added processing and into the development of new poultry-based value-added production. The APRC facility is also built to federally inspected standards for slaughter and processing, a feature expanding its research capacity.

(Photo from www.avc.upei.ca)

(Photo by M. Gong, MSc.)

Added Benefit – the Next GenerationA long-term benefit of research dollars invested in APRI is education of the next generation of professionals working in the industry either as a producer or support service provider. Students attending Dalhousie AC gain exposure to the poultry industry through the APRC and APRI, and many of them are now contributing to the industry’s future. Graduates were proud to offer testimonials on their experiences and education, and how it helped them secure employment in the poultry sector.

“My graduate work prepared me for a career in the animal nutrition industry and provided valuable contacts that led to my current position. The knowledge and hands-on experience I received during my time at NSAC has served me well in my career. Much of the information I acquired during my graduate work I put to use on a daily basis.” Michelle Langille Quality Control/Research & Development, Northeast Nutrition

“The research projects addressed current industry needs as well as being proactive in dealing with changes yet to come. The research facilities enabled experiments to be conducted in controlled environments, providing optimum conditions for quality research. Personnel were always available and willing to provide guidance and assistance. I have no doubt that my education and hands-on research experience through APRC/APRI helped me attain my position.”

Ashley Gillcrist, Atlantic Territory Manager, Jefo

“Initially when I enrolled in NSAC my ambition was to make a difference in the life of animals. My exposure to poultry research as an undergrad and again as a Masters student opened my eyes to a whole new career path in animal research, one that is exciting and never the same day-to-day. My experiences at NSAC provided me with the knowledge and confidence to continue my education, completing a PhD and pursue a career in poultry research. The wonderful, knowledgeable researchers and personnel at NSAC/APRI were great mentors, instilling in me the value and need of top quality poultry research. “

Jennifer Saunders-Blades, PhD Research Associate in Poultry Nutrition , University of Alberta

Redesigning our future with

your support!

The StakeholdersAPRI operates through a volunteer board that includes representation from all sectors of the Atlantic Canadian poultry industry including producers (egg, chicken, & turkey), processors, hatcheries, feed suppliers, University researchers, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and provincial governments. The current board make-up is indicated in Table 1.

Industry Sector Representative Organization

Processor Ian Blenkharn, Chair Atlantic Poultry Inc; Willowdale Farms Inc.

Research Dr. Derek Anderson, CEO

Dalhousie University, Agricultural Campus (AC)

Dr. Michael Cockram

Atlantic Veterinary College, University of PEI

Dr. Bruce Rathgeber

Dalhousie University, AC

University Dr. Sam Asideu Dept. Head, Dalhousie University, AC

Feed Manufacturing

Ed Doyle Nutreco

Hatchery Gerry Kennie Atlantic Poultry Inc.

Turkey David Young Turkey Farmers of NS

Egg David Coburn NB Egg Producers

Provincial Government

Carol Anne Walsh NL Dept. of Natural Resources

Dwight Balzer NB Dept. of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries

Vacant PEI Dept. of Agriculture

Extension Services

Heather McLean Perennia (NS)

Table 1: APRI Board of Directors (July, 2014)

APRI AccomplishmentsResearch conducted and supported by industry, government and educational institutions has contributed to incredible changes and expanded knowledge within the poultry industry over the years. Attitudes and preferences of consumers have been very influential on the changes to the industry and as such influenced the focus and scope of poultry research in Canada. Let the numbers tell our story:

• In 25 years, 60+ research projects have been funded under the APRI mandate. The research priorities are collectively agreed upon by the APRI board and therefore they are relevant to the industry. In Atlantic Canada, the cost of feed is 60-70% of the cost of producing most classes of poultry defending the need for dedicating research to finding ways to reduce this cost without compromising quality/efficiency,

• 30 graduate students have completed Masters Degrees at Dalhousie AC (or formerly Nova Scotia Agricultural College, NSAC) specializing in poultry.

A small sampling of research projects that have been completed under APRI and the benefits they offer for industry are included in the inner section of this brochure.

Check out more details on the APRI website (www.dal.ca/sites/apri.html).

OperationsFor 25 years the APRI model has proven effective in managing hundreds of thousands of dollars of poultry research projects and activity each year; the benefits of which accrue directly back to the stakeholders. Funding to conduct research comes from a wide range of sources including government, industry and the private sector.

APRI does not have any research facilities, resources or scientists of its own. APRI has one staff person, Janice MacIsaac, a Research Associate who is responsible for all APRI activities including preparing funding proposals, coordinating research project activities, writing reports, and meeting requirements of funding agencies. The research activity created by APRI is primarily undertaken by scientists of Dalhousie University, Agricultural Campus (DalAC), and The Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of Prince Edward Island.

IntroductionAtlantic Poultry Research Institute (APRI) is the only poultry focused research organization in Atlantic Canada, and it is celebrating its 25th year. APRI is a non-profit society that unites all industry stakeholders under one umbrella, to address industry concerns through research and education.

Specifically, APRI:

• Furthers scientific research as it relates to poultry production,• Prioritizes research needs,• Solicits for funding for research projects, and• Transfers research knowledge to the industry of

Atlantic Canada

Why Invest in Research?“In the next 50 years, agriculture will be called upon to produce more food than in the previous 10,000 years combined with little or no increase in arable land, water or resources available”. Global Harvest Initiatives, 2011. The Canadian poultry industry is a strong and viable industry, but like most others it experiences continual transition, influenced greatly by consumer attitudes and preferences. Funding todays’ research efforts will result in meeting the food production demands in the coming decades. Research processes routinely require more than 10 years from laboratory to field, and more time is necessary for significant new technologies to be adopted. Research and development foster innovation and productivity in agriculture, translating to improved production efficiencies, reduced cost of production, development of new products and technologies, all which enhance the competitiveness of the industry in meeting future demands.

An additional benefit of research conducted in a University setting is education of the next generation and training of future professionals committed to helping the poultry industry advance.

(Photo by M. Gong, MSc.)

Requesting Financial Support from IndustryRecommendations from the June workshop were to pursue financial assistance from all sectors of the poultry industry to support the proposed restructuring of APRI for a 5-year period. APRI cannot function without adequate staff or funds. In the past the egg producers have been the only commodity that has consistently contributed funds to APRI each year. To make the proposed restructuring work, fair and equal participation is needed from all sectors of the poultry industry.

Figure 1 presents the costs associated with restructuring of APRI and its operations. The Board of Directors of APRI is requesting an additional commitment from industry of $200,000 for each of the next five years to implement the restructuring of APRI. It is proposed the financial commitment be divided amongst industry stakeholders as follows:

• 50% from industry suppliers (hatchery, processing and feed sectors), and

• 50% from producers of all feather commodities

The goal is to have full participation from every sector of the poultry industry. Everyone will benefit, therefore everyone should contribute. Discussions at the June workshop revolved around how best to request this amount from industry. It was agreed that the request per sector be based on gross sales, calculated as a percentage of the total generated per commodity regionally. Table 2 indicates the annual contribution that is being requested per commodity group.

Commodity CommitmentNow we are asking producers (through their provincial commodity boards) as well as industry partners to commit to providing $200,000 annually for 5 years at which time progress and results will be reviewed and evaluated. In order to support the operations of APRI, as presented in Table 2, 50% of the $200,000 ($100,000/year) will be requested from the industry suppliers and the other 50% from the producers. The APRI board asks that everyone support this initiative as the benefits will be Atlantic wide as well as national.

Additional questions can be directed to Ian Blenkharn, APRI Chair, or to Derek Anderson, CEO. We ask that you kindly consider this request and respond by January 31, 2015 to enable timely decision making.

Moving Forward – Changes Needed Workshop participants agreed that change is inevitable to ensure APRI functions as mandated, contributing valuable research to the poultry industry of Atlantic Canada. The first priority is restructuring the organization such that the human resources are in place to enable APRI to do its job.

As previously indicated, APRI lost much of its research capacity when Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada withdrew its financial support in 2013 by eliminating three staff positions devoted to poultry research at the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus. The proposed structure of APRI as presented in Slide 1 would enable APRI to fulfill its mandate of sourcing research funds, conducting relevant industry research, and effectively communicating the results to industry. The Chief Executive Officer is a proposed newly funded position that would effectively liaison with industry on a regular basis, reporting on what’s happening at APRI and the results of research trials. The Office Manager is a position that has been inconsistently funded in the past, and has resulted in major shortcomings of the current deliverables from APRI. This position will have responsibility to run the APRI office including handling outreach material preparation, managing the website, handling finances, preparing reports, presentations, factsheets, research reports for industry, handling staff and human resource needs, and guiding details and timelines of research reporting. The Research Associate (Janice MacIsaac), the only position currently in place with APRI, will continue with responsibilities in preparing applications for research funding, conducting research, and reporting on research results.

Research Priority – Reduce Feed Costs for Regional Broiler Producers

High Oil By-Products as Dietary Protein and Energy Sources in Broiler Diets: The production of biofuels from oilseeds such as Atlantic grown soybeans and canola at regional oilseed plants provides by-products which have potential to become important sources of nutritional meals for regional producers. Further, the increased demand for poultry to be fed diets free of animal by-products has strengthened the need to evaluate the use of Atlantic grown alternative plant-based ingredients for poultry diets. High oil by-products can replace some dietary protein and energy sources, including fat sources, in broiler diets.

Research Priority – Early Poult Mortality for Regional Turkey Producers

Evaluating the Use Lysozyme and a Nutritional Supplement in Transporting Poults: Once poults have been removed from the incubator they undergo standard hatchery processing procedures. For many regional commercial turkey operations, the poults must be transported considerable distance to the facility in which they will be housed, possibly adding further stress to the young bird. The use of a high density nutritional supplement (Oasis®) alone and in combination with lysozyme indicated no beneficial effects of the supplements on early poult mortality rates for birds transported for a 24-hour period. High quality poults and careful transportation resulted in no problems with these birds.

Research Priority – Methods to Reduce Feed Costs for Regional Egg Producers

Blue Mussel Shells – An Atlantic Canada Source of Supplemental Calcium: Ground limestone and large partial oyster shells are the common sources of calcium for laying hens, but the high cost of oyster shells substantiates research in alternate calcium sources. In Atlantic Canada, over 10,000 Tonnes of blue mussel wastage consisting of broken and crushed shells and undersized animals is produced annually. Large and finely ground blue mussel shells can provide regional egg producers with local sources of large and small particle sizes of calcium for their hens. In addition, recycling of these by-products has a positive environmental impact.

Low Protein Diets for Laying Hens – Adequate nutrients are required to optimize production and health of laying hens. However providing an overabundance of nutrients can be costly and wasteful since hens cannot store excess dietary amino acids. Production performance of laying hens was maintained when fed low protein diets supplemented with commercially available amino acids. In addition, feeding low protein diets significantly reduced the amount of nitrogen excreted by the hens, thereby presenting a noteworthy benefit of reducing environmental pollution.

This position is currently funded from research projects with 1/3 coming from industry seed funds, and the intent is that such will continue. A Research Technician position is also required but would be funded from research projects secured, again with 1/3 coming from industry seed funds. This position would be placed in the APRC to assist Dalhousie researchers with work required in the production facilities and in the analytical labs for on-going research projects.

Under the present situation, Dalhousie AC has one staff member who is dedicated 0.25 PY to doing APRI sourced poultry research. One route to getting researchers on the ground is to secure a Research Chair position in collaboration with the University and the provincial government programs. The APRI restructuring model includes seeking a Meat Poultry Research Chair position that would focus on chicken and turkey research. Dalhousie University has been in the initial stages of discussion with Egg Farmers of Canada to develop an Egg Research Chair position. Such chair positions are typically supported for a term of 5-years and if successful, the position is often assumed by the University. The research chair will secure research projects which will include funds for technical support, post doctorate students, graduate students and barn labor. The funding formula for research chair positions is typically 1/3 industry funds; 1/3 Research Acceleration Program (Nova Scotia government), and 1/3 Dalhousie University. There are several researchers at Dalhousie AC who started their position as an industry research chair. The blueberry, carrot and apple industry all have supported a research chair position for five years to eventually secure the position as a university researcher.

Where to Now?In light of all the changes, the APRI Board of Directors recognizes that adjustments are needed for APRI to continue its important role in conducting and encouraging regional research for the poultry industry. The board commissioned the development of a Business Plan in 2013. The business plan concluded with numerous recommendations to position the organization for the future. The key recommendations addressed staffing of APRI such that it could effectively carry out its roles and responsibilities better serving the industry. Of course with additional staff comes the need for additional monies. In June 2014, the Board organized a one-day workshop inviting many industry stakeholders to discuss the issues presented in the business plan and formulate possible solutions. Twenty-one industry stakeholders participated in this workshop. This pamphlet is one of the recommendations that came from the June workshop as a way to inform industry of APRI, its value, the current situation and what is needed to move forward.

Changing Circumstances

A number of changes have occurred in recent years requiring APRI to re-evaluate its structure and its future operations. • From inception in 1988 until 2008 the NS Department

of Agriculture offered annual funding of $15,000 to provide administrative support for APRI. Since 2008 the administrative responsibilities have been filled with part-time help from staff and administrators at Dalhousie AC (formerly NSAC) as well as APRI’s one staff member.

• In the spring of 2013, Agriculture & Agr-Food Canada ended their support for poultry research initiatives across Canada which effectively eliminated one researcher position and two research technical positions housed at Dalhousie AC, all who played an integral role in conducting poultry research under the APRI mandate.

• Government support for funding research is moving away from the traditional discovery research model in favor of industry directed research and economic development.

• This renewed model requires industry money upfront as ‘seed’ funds in order to attract matching funds from other sources. Typically with such industry seed funds, researchers can attract 3-4 times its value in research dollars from governments and the private sector.

Commodity Annual Contribution Request

Atlantic Region Chicken 63,800

Atlantic Region Egg 31,300

Atlantic Region Turkey 4,900

Subtotal 100,000

Atlantic Region ProcessorsHatcheriesFeedmills

100,000

Total Industry Commitment for Restructuring

$200,000

Funds for: $/yearOffice Manager $30,000CEO $46,400Meat Poultry Chair $40,000Seed Funds Research Associate & Technician $23,600Operational Funds $60,000

Total Request from Industry $200,000

Requested Industry Contributions

Figure 1: Necessary Funds for Restructured APRI Model Table 2: APRI Annual Request/Commodity Group

(Photo by J. Roux)

(Photo by M. Gong, MSc.)

(Photo by M. Gong, MSc.)