OMAFRA Partnership
Is 'Key Element' in University's
New Vision for Future

By Stacey Curry Gunn

Fourth-year veterinary student Jackie Gordon examines a cow as part of her training in large-animal medicine. OMAFRA funds clinical education through the enhanced partnership contract with U of G.
PHOTO BY MARTIN SCHWALBE

The renewal of the enhanced partnership agreement between U of G and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is a "tremendous opportunity to renew our vision for agri-food research, education and technology transfer in support of innovation and the public good," says president Mordechai Rozanski.

By April, the University and OMAFRA will redefine how they will work together for the next five years. It's work that has enormous impact, not only on Ontario's $9.54-billion agri-food industry, but also on the health and well-being of the province's people, animals and environment.

When the contract took effect April 1, 1997, Rozanski called it an "unparalleled example of government/university interaction."

The agreement - which builds on a more than 30-year relationship - has since delivered numerous benefits for Ontario, says Prof. Alan Wildeman, vice-president (research).

"Today, the University is at the forefront of a new era of advanced technological research that merges agri-food, nutrition, health and pharmaceutical research with advanced information technologies," he says.

Rozanski sees the renewal of the enhanced partnership as a "key element" in a new vision that will build on the University's historical strengths in agri-food and veterinary medicine.

"Guelph's expertise in the plant and animal life sciences, and our culture of innovation and application, allows us to solve real-life problems and improve the quality of people's lives," he says.

"We are all working very hard in these negotiations to advance these goals. There are significant budget challenges. But we are dedicated to overcoming these challenges because the enhanced partnership is such an important element in our ability to make important discoveries and deliver valuable applications that benefit the citizens of this province and beyond."

The funding that OMAFRA transfers to the University ($50.5 million in 2001/2002) supports research, education and laboratory services.

RESEARCH

About $38 million was earmarked for research in 2000/2001.

The University and OMAFRA work together to establish research priorities that become deliverables in the contract. The objectives relate to human, animal and plant health; rural communities; environmental management; and food safety.

"Research - both basic and applied - keeps our agri-food sector on the leading edge," says Wildeman. "It is primarily at universities that basic or curiosity-based research is encouraged and given long enough timelines to nurture new ideas that lead to groundbreaking advances."

U of G research includes the creation of new commodities that have health-promoting or disease-preventing properties. These "next generation" products - nutraceuticals, antibodies and vaccines - have the potential to open new agricultural markets and could boost rural and agricultural economies.

For example, one research group has found a way to incorporate DHA into milk. DHA is an important omega-3 fatty acid for brain and retinal development, and it may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Another team is finding ways to extract important biochemically active compounds from Ontario crops, such as betacarotene from carrots and tomatoes, phytoestrogens from soybeans and flavours and fragrances from flowers. Unlike conventional extraction techniques, their process extracts the valuable substances without generating toxic residues and hazardous waste.

Researchers are also investigating methods of producing antibodies in plants such as tobacco and eggs. "Plantibodies" produced in tobacco could be used to detect food- and water-borne diseases. Researchers hope the egg project will lead to cheap and abundant supplies of a vaccine for rotavirus, considered one of the most serious diseases in the world, with up to three million children dying from it each year.

OVC faculty are also advancing human health through comparative medical research on reproductive technologies, genetic diseases, cancer, radiation treatment and antibiotic resistance. One current project involves testing a vaccine for cows that could eliminate the deadly E. coli O157:H7 bacterium. Work is also under way on technology to better treat joint injuries in horses and people, and to prevent the early onset of arthritis.

A number of research efforts are focused on strategies that will lead to more efficient and environmentally friendly agricultural methods. For example, an integrated pest management treatment program for apple growers is using a variety of environmentally friendly products to save producers from orchard losses, significantly reducing the amount of chemical pesticides needed to maintain a healthy and profitable crop.

EDUCATION

OMAFRA funding also supports educational programs, including the University's agri-food diploma programs at OAC and Ridgetown, Kemptville and Alfred colleges, and OVC's Veterinary Clinical Education Program (VCEP).

"Through training programs and an investment in research, new generations of highly qualified people will play important roles in the development of the agri-food industry," says Wildeman. "Universities have a crucial role to provide a continual source of skills and ideas, which contribute to a healthy economy, society and environment."

OVC dean Alan Meek says the VCEP funding "is critical to our ability to provide our students with essential clinical education that serves Ontario's food-animal industry and the animal-owning public at large."

Recent events have shown the vital importance of veterinary colleges and veterinarians in Canada's infrastructure for public health protection, including regulatory agencies, food safety, wildlife and environmental health and medical research, he notes.

Veterinarians promote the quality and safety of food through proactive means, such as animal health programs that decrease the use of antibiotics.

Veterinary practitioners and researchers also play a key role in disease surveillance and outbreak response. "They are the first line of defence against threats to human and animal health, such as West Nile virus, mad cow disease, E. coli contamination and other diseases that can be transmitted through the food chain," Meek says. "Without effective and adequate training programs, this critical link in our defence of public and environment health would be lost."

LABORATORY SERVICES

The safety of the provincial food supply also relies on U of G's Laboratory Services division, which was transferred from OMAFRA in 1997 under the terms of the enhanced partnership.
OMAFRA uses Lab Services for analysis that meets the requirements of various provincial acts and regulations covering health and safety standards for food production.

"We strive to ensure that the food produced and sold in Ontario is safe to eat," says general manager Patricia Collins. "We are testing products on a daily basis that are entering or already in the food supply. That includes meat, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Every year, we test 285,000 dairy samples alone."

OMAFRA also uses data from Lab Services to scan for disease outbreaks.

"Through our diagnostic services, we are actively monitoring the health of the herds in the province to watch for potential outbreaks that would represent a human health hazard or be economically devastating to a sector of the industry," Collins says.

Lab Services also provides OMAFRA with environmental monitoring services, including identifying plant diseases, soil testing and monitoring the quality of water in the Great Lakes.
The individual successes of the research, education and laboratory services under the OMAFRA contract collectively result in synergies with far-reaching effects, says Wildeman.

The partnership with OMAFRA is a major factor in the growth of the research and development cluster around U of G, he says. The University now has more than 35 external partners from government, industry and academia, and 25 research centres and institutes on campus.

Ultimately, Rozanski says, the goal is "to improve the quality of people's lives by creating safe and high-quality food, by advancing health and well-being, and by creating high-value industrial bioproducts that contribute to a clean, sustainable environment.

"The University and OMAFRA have achieved a great deal in the last five years through the enhanced partnership, and the renewal of the agreement this spring will enable us to focus on future innovation."