Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Today, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie Claude Bibeau, and Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Devin Dreeshen, announced the launch of an initiative under the AgriRecovery Framework to provide up to $3 million to assist hog producers impacted by processing shut downs due to the pandemic. Funding for the initiative is cost shared on a 60/40 basis between Canada and Alberta.
Pork processing plants in Alberta have been impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks and disease control measures, resulting in plant closures and reduced slaughter capacity. Many Alberta hog producers are being forced to keep hogs on-farm beyond their standard lifecycle, resulting in extraordinary feed and maintenance costs which put a financial strain on their operations. The initiative will provide assistance for up to 90 per cent of the cost to feed market-ready hogs held back from processing due to plant closures and reduced capacity.
The province of Alberta will administer applications and payments to producers.
Source : Canada.ca