Maintaining and strengthening Canada’s food production and processing sector

Jun 12, 2020

Ottawa, Ontario - COVID-19 has caused significant changes and adaptation in Canada’s food system. As a result, Canadian food producers, processors, and manufacturers have taken on unexpected and exceptional activities associated with risk mitigation measures to be able to maintain Canada’s food production.

That is why the Government of Canada is taking steps to ensure the resilience of the food supply chain and to provide support to keep the agriculture sector strong.

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today launched the $77.5 million Emergency Processing Fund (EPF) as part of the Government of Canada’s action to support Canadians and businesses facing hardship as a result of COVID-19.

The program will prioritize projects based on two objectives:

Emergency COVID Response to assist companies to implement changes required by COVID-19 to ensure the health and safety of workers. This funding will assist with:
- plant retrofits or adjustments to existing operations to accommodate changes to processes and production; and
- increasing capacity for herd management.
Strategic Investments to assist companies to improve, automate, and modernize facilities needed to increase Canada’s food supply capacity.

Source : Government of Canada

Video: Pandemic Risks in Swine - Dr. John Deen

I’m Phil Hord, and I’m excited to kick off my first episode as host on The Swine it Podcast Show. It’s a privilege to begin this journey with you. In this episode, Dr. John Deen, a retired Distinguished Global Professor Emeritus from the University of Minnesota, explains how pandemic threats continue to shape U.S. swine health and production. He discusses vulnerabilities in diagnostics, movement control, and national preparedness while drawing lessons from ASF, avian influenza, and field-level epidemiology. Listen now on all major platforms.

"Pandemic events in swine systems continue to generate significant challenges because early signals often resemble common conditions, creating delays that increase spread and economic disruption."