Investing in new initiative to support agriculture sustainability efforts

OTTAWA, Feb. 25, 2020 /CNW/ - The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today delivered a keynote address at the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), where she spoke in support of the sector's efforts to boost sustainability and build public trust. During her speech, the Minister announced a federal investment of $560,000 for the CFA to develop the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative. This new initiative will provide Canadian farmers and processors an online national platform to proactively meet the growing demand for proof of sustainability from customers.

With this support, the CFA will create a single window for data on the sustainability of the Canadian agri-food supply chain. This will provide a forum where producers and processors can share information and connect with new networks interested in sustainability. This initiative will also serve as a hub to benchmark and track the sustainability of the Canadian agri-food industry compared to international standards.

Ultimately, the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative will support Canadian food producers' use of label claims about the safety and quality of their food products.

Quotes

"More and more, customers of Canada's high-quality food want to know that their food was produced ethically, with a minimized impact on the environment. Canada's farmers and processors are already leaders when it comes to the use of more green technologies and practices in our food production. This new initiative is an important tool to tell our story and build consumers' trust for our producers."
-  Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is pleased to announce that we have recently received funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to start work on the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative, or "CASI". CASI will provide farmers with an online portal to benchmark their efforts with existing sustainability programs and connect them to potential clients both at home and abroad. The goal is to provide farmers with an efficient avenue to connect with clients who recognize their hard work in sustainability. CASI will also aim to connect farmers to programs that serve as criteria to receive environmental funding. This will provide farmers a bridge to resources that help fund their critical environmental efforts. AAFC will be contributing $562,870 over 3 three years and would like to formally thank AAFC for this generous contribution."
-  Mary Robinson, President Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Quick Facts

• The AgriAssurance program is a five-year, up to $74 million federal initiative to foster public trust by helping industry develop and adopt systems, standards and tools that enable them to make credible, meaningful and verifiable claims about the health and safety of Canadian agricultural and agri-food products, and the manner in which they are produced.
• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector. The Partnership includes programs and activities to enhance the competitiveness of the sector through research, science and innovation
• The Canadian Federation of Agriculture was formed in 1935 as a unified voice to speak on behalf of Canadian farmers. It is a farmer-funded, national umbrella organization comprising of provincial general farm organizations and national and interprovincial commodity groups. They represent approximately 200,000 Canadian farm families from coast to coast.

Associated Links

• Canadian Agricultural Partnership
• AgriAssurance Program
• Canadian Federation of Agriculture
• Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada