Feds announce $840,000 for egg scanning technology
New Canadian technology will aim to give farmers in the egg and poultry industries a peek behind the shell.
Kicking off the Ontario leg of his Growing Canadian Agriculture tour, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay announced $850,000 in funding to further develop a scanning tool that can determine the fertility of an egg, and if fertile, the chick’s sex. Proponents say the tool is a non-invasive technique that can improve efficiencies at hatcheries, increase animal welfare and enhance production.
“There’s potential to transform the industry,” said MacAulay, from Roger Pelissero’s St. Anns farm.
The new technique has been in the works for a decade and has improved to the point where the scanning device can detect fertility with 90 per cent accuracy.
Hatcheries will be able to root out infertile or fertile male eggs early in the process. Those eggs, which are perfectly fine for consumption, can be separated out for sale to consumers. This means more of the eggs that go through the hatchery will produce chicks that farmers can raise.
“It’s a win for animal welfare, and a win for farm businesses,” said Vance Badawey, MP for Niagara Centre.
Producers often have little use for male chicks. The new tool improves animal welfare by discovering those eggs before they develop.
“This is far and away the biggest technological leap in the business,” said Drew Corneil, general manager of McKinley Hatchery and representative for the Canadian and Egg Processors Council.
Dignitaries used the event to reaffirm the federal government’s support of the supply management system, which has been under threat because of the uncertain future of the North American Free Trade Agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Canada’s supply management system as unfair.
St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle said there’s a “passionate support of the supply management system,” while MacAulay said supply management and investment in innovation means Canada’s egg and poultry sectors produce “safe, nutritious and top quality” food for consumers.
Pelissero said the tool, once commercially available, will mean a steadier supply. His most recent order arrived in three separate shipments in part because valuable incubator time and space was wasted on infertile eggs.
“We’re going to have full hatcheries.” Other tools to determine fertility and sex require invasive techniques. The Canadian scanning tool has so much promise that officials are constantly asked about its progress by counterparts in other countries, Corneil said.
“The world is really interested in this technology,” he said.
‘‘ “This is far and away the biggest technological leap in the business.” DREW CORNEIL general manager of McKinley Hatchery