Newfoundland and Labrador's poultry sector is the second largest agricultural contributor in the province. To support its growth, the Member of Parliament for St. John's East, Joanne Thompson, announced a federal investment of up to $8 million for Country Ribbon to adopt advanced equipment that will increase productivity, while reducing its environmental footprint.
Today's announcement was made on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (AAFC), the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, and the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor.
AAFC is providing up to $5 million and ACOA is providing up to $3 million. These investments will help Country Ribbon purchase and install an air chilling system to replace its current water chilling system. Air chilling comes with a range of benefits such as chicken products that contain less water and more flavour, decreased risk of contamination and reduced water use in the chilling process.
As Newfoundland and Labrador's largest chicken producer and only processor, Country Ribbon is a pillar of the province's agricultural community-supporting local jobs, food supply and economic activity. This investment helps position Newfoundland and Labrador's poultry sector for continued success and supports the resiliency of the local food system.
