The Governments of Canada and Ontario are providing more than $5.4 million through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to help food processing businesses improve food safety, increase labour productivity and enable better access to markets. These strategic investments will support more than 75 projects across Ontario and strengthen the province’s crucial agri-food supply chain.

Neil Ellis, Member of Parliament for Bay of Quinte and Parliamentary Secretary to the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said:

“Targeted investments into the innovation of our food processors such as these ensure our food supply chain remains strong and competitive for years to come. This is about serving our communities from both levels of government, helping to give a boost to our local food businesses and address some of the challenges around labour we are seeing right now.”

Some specific types of projects supported through this programing include:
• Implementing technology or other systems to improve food safety.
• Transitioning to automated, advanced manufacturing and/or robotic processing
technology to enhance labour productivity.
• Developing new products or processes to increase sales.

A list of approved projects is posted online at: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/cap/processor-projects.htm

“Our food processors are an integral part of our province’s economic recovery from this outbreak. By investing in this sector, we are helping our homegrown processors become more competitive, more innovative and better positioned to keep supplying safe, quality foods for domestic and international markets.”

said the Honourable Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs.

The Partnership is also investing in programs this year at provincially inspected dairy processors and provincially licensed meat processors to support food safety enhancement projects. These are in addition to new programming launched this year, like the Agri-food Workplace Protection Program, to assist the sector in protecting its workers from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Since June 2018, both the federal and provincial governments have committed cost-share
support to more than 2,500 projects through the Partnership to help eligible Ontario
farmers, processors, businesses and sector organizations innovate and grow.

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“Maintaining strong trade with our European friends and allies will be essential for our economic restart. During my discussion with Commissioner Wojciechowski, I built upon the strength of that long-standing relationship and promoted the high-quality of Canadian agri-food products.”

said The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Quick facts

• Since CETA provisionally went into effect in September 2017, exports of agriculture and agri-food to the EU have increased nearly 12% between 2016 (the last full year prior to CETA) and 2019. Some of the commodities to benefit the most from CETA tariff reductions are: cranberries (exports up 130%); fruits and nuts (up 84%); dog and cat food (up 22%); and maple sugar and syrup (up 15%).
• Other commodities that saw exports increase in that time period are: canola seed (up 97%); kidney and white pea beans (up 30%); soya beans (up 13%); and corn (up 11%).

Source: Agriculture and Agri Food Canada

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