Canada and Ontario commit up to $5 million to bolster small agri-food businesses.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay
Per an announcement on August 7, 2024, the governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to help important small businesses in the agriculture and food industries enhance their food safety systems and stimulate growth.
Through the Food Safety and Growth Initiative, funding will be provided to eligible food processors, producers, and service providers to improve food safety systems, adopt new food safety and traceability equipment, technologies, and standards, and provide related training to employees.
This funding will also enable operators to respond to market and consumer demands and grow their businesses.
Ontario’s robust food safety systems are key to the industry’s growth, and this initiative will help smaller businesses build consumer confidence and enable growth by supporting investments to detect, prevent, and mitigate food safety risks and adopt new standards.
“It is vitally important that our farmers and food processors have access to the latest tools and resources they need to continue to produce their top-quality goods,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “This investment in technology and equipment upgrades will help folks prevent and quickly address food safety risks and keep their operations on the cutting edge.”
Food industry businesses with fewer than 100 employees at the site of proposed projects are eligible for support through the Food Safety and Growth Initiative.
“Our government is committed to working with smaller businesses in Ontario’s agriculture and food industry to help them ensure food safety so they can increase sales and expand,” commented Rob Flack, Minister of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “Investments through the Food Safety and Growth Initiative will allow smaller food businesses to improve their operations so they can grow and compete in Ontario and outside our borders.”
Projects supported through this initiative will include the development or improvement of food safety or traceability programs, upgrades to food safety or traceability equipment and technology upgrades, assessments by qualified third parties, or the implementation of internationally or nationally recognized food safety programs, such as first-time certification audits.
Successful projects are eligible to receive 50 percent of eligible costs in cost-share funding, up to a maximum of $75,000 per project. Applications for the initiative will be accepted starting on August 21, 2024. The application period will remain open until 11:59 p.m. EST on December 1, 2025, or until the budgeted funds have been fully allocated, whichever comes first.
The Sustainable CAP is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products sectors.
This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment cost-shared 60 percent federally and 40 percent provincially and territorially for programs designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
"We commend the federal and provincial governments for their partnership and support. This investment will build resilience in our food system by supporting businesses in advancing their food safety systems. This is good news for everyone," stated Kevin Schinkel, the President of the Meat and Poultry Ontario association headquartered in Guelph, Ontario.
For more information about OMAFA programs and services, contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre (AICC) by phone at 1-877-424-1300 or by e-mail at ag.info.omafa@ontario.ca.