The governments of Canada and Ontario are supplying $900,000 — through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) — to launch an innovative tool to connect meat and poultry farmers with abattoirs that have available processing capacity and to support recruitment, retention, and training initiatives in the industry.
The new Farmer-Processor Connections Initiative, led by Meat and Poultry Ontario and AgSights, is designed to connect farmers in need of processing with abattoirs that have additional capacity. It builds off a pilot project launched last year.
This program will help relieve processing capacity challenges and supply chain disruptions, help food processing businesses use their full capacity, and help meat and poultry farmers get their products to domestic and international markets faster.
“Ontario’s meat and poultry producers work tirelessly to ensure that Ontarians have access to fresh, local, and high-quality meat products for their families,” says Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. “We have heard concerns about processing capacity shortages, and that is why our government is stepping up with this important investment, so that we can continue to meet the demand for Ontario’s high-quality meat products.”
Additionally, Meat and Poultry Ontario and EIO Solutions are partnering to develop and implement a full suite of human resources tools to support meat and poultry processing plants in Ontario, with recruitment, retention, training, and policy development. These dedicated and tailor-made resources will optimize food safety knowledge and culture in provincially licensed meat plants, while addressing ongoing labour challenges.
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