Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament - St. Catharines, on behalf of Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of up to $1,072,335 to the Canadian Meat Council (CMC) under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership's AgriMarketing program, while attending the 99th Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This funding will help Canada's strong and prosperous meat industry accommodate growing demands here and around the world.
In collaboration with the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) and the Canada Cattlemen's Association (CCA), this investment will help the Canadian Meat Council undertake such activities as inspection visits by international officials to ensure that Canadian facilities meet food safety requirements. It will help build relationships with foreign industry partners, and also provide timely information and expertise for global trade missions. Increasing markets will benefit Canadian producers and processors and provide an avenue to maximize the value of pork and beef products.
"Building new and positive trade relationships brings greater value and diversity to Canada's agri-food sector. This funding will help the meat industry open new markets and promote their world-class products so they can stand out from the competition here in Canada and around the world."
- Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
"Agriculture is a priority for our government and providing farmers and processors with the tools they need to compete globally and capitalize on market opportunities is important. This funding will help make the agriculture industry in Ontario and across Canada even stronger and more competitive, supporting jobs and economic growth."
- Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines
"CMC along with CPC and CCA are grateful for the support given to our industry through the Agri-Marketing program. This funding allows us to do valuable advocacy by reaching out to our counterparts and build allies to help influence decision-making in these markets. We are thankful that the government recognizes the importance of foreign markets for the meat industry as the demand keeps growing for our high-quality Canadian meat around the world."
- Chris White, President and CEO of Canadian Meat Council
Quick facts
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The Canadian meat industry, as represented by the Canadian Meat Council, the Canadian Pork Council and the Canadian Cattlemen Association, aims to build relationships with international export markets.
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In 2017, Canada exported pork and beef meat valued at $6.42 billion to over 125 countries around the world.
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The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector.
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This funding was made under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership's AgriMarketing Program: National Industry Association (NIA) Component, a five-year, up to $121 M federal initiative that aims to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities.
