Feds invest in meat sector

Jun 03, 2019

The funding will help develop relationships with potential trading partners

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The federal government is helping the Canadian meat sector develop international market access for pork and beef.

Today, Chris Bittle, the Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, Ont., announced an investment that could exceed $1 million to the Canadian Meat Council (CMC) under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program.

Bittle announced the funding on behalf of Marie-Claude Bibeau, the federal ag minister.

The CMC, along with the Canadian Pork Council and Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, will use the investment to welcome international officials to inspect Canadian processing facilities, build stronger relationships with industry partners and provide necessary resources for global trade missions.

Inviting inspectors from other countries to Canada is a way to do business with less-developed trading partners, said John Masswohl, director of international and governmental relations with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

“When inspectors from Canada, the U.S., Europe or other advanced countries go to tour facilities, (the inspecting country) pays their way,” he told Farms.com. “But if you start talking about a country like Indonesia, where we might want expanded access, but the country doesn’t have a large budget to come and do an inspection, this is a way for us to have their inspectors come see how our facilities run.”

Canada’s beef and pork exports valued $6.42 billion in 2017. Canada shipped these products to 125 countries in 2017.

These types of investments will help the agri-food industry extend its reach even further, said Bittle.

“Agriculture is a priority for our government and providing farmers and processors with the tools they need to compete globally and capitalize on market opportunities is important,” he said in a statement Monday. “This funding will help make the agricultural industry in Ontario and across Canada even stronger and more competitive, supporting jobs and economic growth."

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