$7.3 Million in Government Funding for Farmers and Agri-Food Businesses

Thursday, 22 July 2021 16:28

Local MPP Ernie Hardeman says this money will be used to support 21 projects, right here in Oxford County.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario are investing $7.3 million to support farmers and local agri-food businesses.

The money will be used to fund 600 cost shared projects in Ontario to increase food safety, accelerate sector innovation and help farmers bring new products to market.

Local MPP Ernie Hardeman says this money will be used to support 21 projects, right here in Oxford County.

“We’ve got 21 projects in Oxford that will receive total funding of over $361,000 under this program. It’s great to see our government continue to invest in the agriculture sector and farmers to help them create jobs, grow their businesses and produce more of the safe, quality food our province is known for.”

Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau says the projects are spread out over 270 communities in Ontario.

"It isn’t an accident that Ontario's farmers have built an international reputation for producing the best quality food products. It is made possible through their hard work and government investment that keep them on the cutting edge of innovation and competitiveness. Through this investment, we continue to support the growth and sustainability of this bedrock sector in Ontario.”

Positive outcomes of projects funded under this intake include:

- Improvement of food safety systems on farms to meet or exceed national and international certification standards;

- Development of products that will open new sales markets for farm businesses for example, a new organic pepper product to expand markets or developing maple butter as a new, value-added farm product;

- Planting cover crops to improve soil health and reduce soil erosion losses over winter;

- Increasing preventative measures to help reduce pest damage at greenhouse operations; and
Upgrades to animal-handling equipment to improve animal welfare and reduce disease transmission on livestock farms.