Two Northern Ontario food processors were among 75 agri-food busineses in the province to get a piece of the $5.4-million funding pie delivered through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
This federal-provincial partnership is a $3-billion program running over five years to support Ontario's $47.5-billion agri-food and agri-products sectors.
Penokean Hills Farms, a farmers' beef co-operative in Bruce Mines, east of Sault Ste. Marie, received $68,579.50 to purchase and install traceability equipment and update its written protocols to improve their traceability system.
Bay Meats Butcher Shop in Thunder Bay received $6,250.00 to install new automated jerky slicing machine to eliminate slicing meat by hand.
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Since 2018, the feds and province have collaborated to fund more than 2,500 projects in Ontario covering technology or systems that improve food safety; installing automated, robotic or advanced processing methods, new products or process that boost sales.
A focus of investments this year were targetting provincially inspected dairy processors and provincially licensed meat processors.
"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," said Neil Ellis, the federal parliamentary secretary to the minister of agriculture and agri-food.
"By investing in this sector," added Ernie Hardeman, provincial minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, "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." .
