The Government of Canada is once again demonstrating its commitment to enhance traceability in Canadian agriculture. Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux announced an investment of more than $487,000 to the Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) and the Canadian National Goat Federation (CNGF).
“Our farmers are known for producing safe products,” said Mr. Lemieux. “Traceability will give our sheep and goat farmers and exporters another tool to demonstrate the high quality of their products and help them compete in the international marketplace and continue to strengthen the Canadian economy.”
This investment will go towards finalizing the development of a national animal identification and traceability plan, creating various communications products and educating the industry on the benefits of traceability. The project will help ensure all farmers have access to and are educated on traceability equipment, which will help create an efficient way of tracking both sheep and goats. This initiative is another step forward towards the full implementation of a National Agricultural and Food Traceability System.
“In recent years there has been a continual increase in the demand for sheep and lamb products, which represents significant opportunity for growth and long-term stability of the industry if capitalized upon within the next few years,” said Andrew Gordanier, Chairman, CSF Board of Directors. “A critical success factor for capitalizing upon this opportunity is the industry’s ability to address the increasing demand for traceability – providing feedback and information to the consumer about where their food and other products are coming from. We are pleased to be working with the Government of Canada to provide the tools and resources necessary for the Canadian sheep producer to address traceability.”
Under the Canadian Industry Traceability Infrastructure component of Canadian Integrated Food Safety Initiative, the Government of Canada supports national organizations in the development and implementation of traceability processes and systems. To find out more about this initiative, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/cifsi.
Funding is subject to the signing of a contribution agreement for the project.
