Ag groups pleased with funding

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This article was published 23/06/2023 (901 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Keystone Agricultural Producers welcomes the announcement of funding from the provincial and federal governments that will help farmers and agri-processors become more sustainable.

New grant funding is available for producers across the province to bolster sustainability initiatives, allowing them to help prevent climate change, the provincial and federal governments announced on Thursday.

“It’s good news,” Keystone Agricultural Producers president Jill Verwey told the Sun.

Adding value to production means more money in the pockets of farmers and could even lead to more jobs, she added.

“Increased investment leads to more prosperity for the agriculture sector in Manitoba.”

The funding, delivered under the Sustainable Agri-Processing Program (SAP) of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, includes upgrades to building envelopes, lighting and ventilation systems to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Funding is available for up to 50 per cent of project costs, up to a maximum of $25,000 per project.

The Sustainable Agri-Processing Program (SAP) also offers funding toward private companies’ sustainability initiatives, including ones targeting reducing agri-food and agri-product wastage during harvest, storage of crops and ingredient processing. The money is available for producers to purchase tools and systems that will help them mitigate wastage, and funding is available for up to 50 per cent of the project cost, up to a maximum of $50,000 per project.

SAP’s water-use efficiency stream provides funding for projects that help reduce the amount of water used by agri-processors, up to 50 per cent of the project cost to a maximum of $250,000.

In addition, the Food Safety and Traceability Program will help fund projects that improve food safety and traceability practices, a joint press release sent out by the Manitoba government and the federal government on Thursday stated.

Beef producers across Manitoba are focusing in on opportunities that will allow them to implement changes to make their operations more environmentally sustainable, and the newly announced funding will help, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) general manager Carson Callum told the Sun.

“There’s a lot of positivity coming,” Callum said. “It’s really important to utilize new technologies and new traceability related equipment.”

In total, the program will provide up to 60 per cent of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $30,000 for food safety initiatives and up to 50 per cent of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $30,000 for traceability initiatives. Examples of eligible expenses include developing and implementing preventative food safety programs; purchasing food safety and traceability-related equipment; and consultant fees and training costs.

The funding has potential to help producers update the technology on their farms to improve traceability, Callum said.

“The concern would be things like disease — that’s why a traceability system that is really robust matters.”

Any investment that helps farmers offset the cost of traceability and helps them better utilize technology is a positive thing, MBP president Matthew Atkinson said.

“Realistically, we’re probably going to see more traceability requirements being enforced or coming to fruition in the next few years, and therefore, [it’s important] to outfit producers with the technology to comply more easily.”

Current traceability requirements for cattle, bison and sheep in Canada include each animal bearing a unique identification tag before leaving their farm of origin. If animals lose their ID tags, the operator of the site or persons responsible for the animals must apply a new indicator immediately, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website says.

Traceability systems are important for the protection of animal health, public health and food safety, the website also states.

Food safety and traceability are critical in food processing and distribution to protect consumer safety and markets, and it is important that food and ingredients are able to be quickly traced back to the source to prevent or reduce harm to the public, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson said in the press release.

“Manitoba has one of the safest supplies of food in the world, and must continue to evolve and innovate to keep up with current safety requirements.”

The new funding will support Manitoba producers and processors in their efforts to deliver a safe and reliable food supply while also adapting themselves to climate change, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said.

“Reducing waste, becoming more efficient with water usage, and finding innovative ways to create a more sustainable food system all strengthen the competitiveness of the sector.”

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