The Canadian Animal Health Coalition will use the money to develop emergency management tools for the livestock industry and improve animal care assessments. Four projects will receive funding:
- Up to C$223,929 to develop a new livestock transport online certification program that will simplify, standardize and provide truckers, shippers and receivers opportunities to more easily access the training to improve handling practices.
- Up to C$160,713 to update the Transportation Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals during transport.
- Up to C$813,200 to develop an emergency management plan for the Canadian livestock industry to help mitigate, to respond to, and to recover from major hazard emergencies.
- Up to C$112,180 to revise the Chicken Farmers of Canada’s (CFC) animal care assessment program to meet the new Code of Practice for hatching eggs, breeders, chickens and turkeys.
“Our government is proud to support initiatives that help to ensure the welfare of farm animals in Canada,” said Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph. “It’s vital that Canada keeps its standards up to date in order to keep pace with new and emerging consumer and market demands, both domestically and globally.”
In Canada, the livestock and poultry industries generate more than C$15 billion in farmgate receipts, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada data. The investments in livestock welfare are being made through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriMarketing Program, which is a five-year, C$341 million initiative under the Growing Forward 2 policy framework.
(1 Canadian Dollar = 0.80 US Dollar)
