Queen's Park and Ottawa are collectively setting aside up to $5 million for Ontario beef farmers to cover the increased costs of feeding and setting aside market-ready cattle due to pandemic-related processing delays.
Starting Dec. 21, beef farmers can apply for funding through Agricorp, a provincial Crown agency that will running the Canada-Ontario AgriRecovery COVID-19 Beef Emergency Feed Maintenance Initiative.
Agricorp takes applications and delivers risk management programs to Ontario's agricultural industry. This agency will provide all the eligibility details.
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The federal-provincial partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment which includes $1 billion for federal activities and programs, and $2 billion in cost-shared programs delivered by provinces and territories on a 60-40 basis.
Ontario is home to nearly 6,800 beef farms that contributes an estimated $2.8 billion annually to the province's economy and supports 60,000 jobs through the supply chain.
"I commend the federal and provincial governments for moving swiftly to ensure this tool and funding support was made available to Ontario cattle producers to help mitigate the impact of the disruptions we've experienced at processing," said Beef Farmers of Ontario president Rob Lipsett.
Two businesses in the Rainy River District of northwestern Ontario have received $241,000 in provincial to help with expansion projects.
Arc Prop Repair, a boat propeller manufacturer, is receiving $168,854 to help them open a facility in Fort Frances.
M. L. Judson Trucking, a truck and heavy equipment services company in Emo, is receiving $72,645 to purchase new equipment and expand its operation.
