Canadian Governments to help agri-food industry mitigate spread of COVID-19

The Governments of Canada and Manitoba have announced a new $3 million cost-shared Canadian Agricultural Partnership programme to support projects that will help the agri-food industry and agricultural processors mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The five-year, $3-billion Canadian Agricultural Partnership includes $2 billion for cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories and $1 billion for federal programmes and services.

The new COVID-19 Response Initiative will provide financial assistance to agri-food and agri-product processors, food distributors and agri-food industry organisations for:

• Personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies
• Business continuity practices, training and resources to support COVID-19 mitigation
• Beginning in September financial assistance will also be available for materials, supplies and equipment rentals needed to adapt production processes to meet social distancing and other precautions related to COVID-19.

“Food producers and processors have had to deal with so many new challenges over the past months, while continuing to supply Canadians with the high-quality food they produce. Manitoba processors have stepped up to deal with those challenges, just as Canadians have never been more appreciative of the importance of our food supply chain. The funding our two Governments are delivering together today gives Manitoba processors an extra financial boost to adjust to the challenges presented by COVID-19 and help keep their workers safe,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. 

“A COVID-19 response for the agri-food and agri-product sector is needed to ensure processors can adapt, recover and maintain competitiveness. The pandemic has required them to make changes to their operations and enhance their employee protections. Manitoba’s food and agri-product processors are significant contributors to our economy, so we are pleased to offer a program that helps respond to these challenges,” added Blaine Pedersen, Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister.