Canadian Meat Council receives more than $1 million to help with growing demand

The federal government announced more than $1 million will be going towards Canadian Meat Council (CMC) initiatives. Member of Parliament Chris Bittle made the announcement today in Niagara Falls, Ont., on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau at the CMC’s 99th annual conference.

According to a news release, in collaboration with the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) and the Canada Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), the money will help the CMC undertake activities such as inspection visits by international officials to ensure that Canadian facilities meet food safety requirements. It will also help build relationships with foreign industry partners, and provide timely information and expertise for global trade missions, the organization says.

The funding comes from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing program’s National Industry Association component, a five-year initiative by the government of up to $121 million. Its aim is to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities.

“CMC, along with CPC and CCA, are grateful for the support given to our industry through the Agri-Marketing program. This funding allows us to do valuable advocacy by reaching out to our counterparts and build allies to help influence decision-making in these markets,” says Chris White, president and CEO of the CMC. “We are thankful that the government recognizes the importance of foreign markets for the meat industry as the demand keeps growing for our high-quality Canadian meat around the world.”

In 2017, Canada exported pork and beef meat valued at $6.42 billion to over 125 countries around the world.

“The Canadian Pork Council would like to thank the federal government and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the AgriMarketing funding that will allow us to further build relationships encouraging trade, diversifying markets and removing barriers” says Rick Bergmann, CPC chair.

In a new release from the CPC, international trade and access to key markets are of utmost importance to Canadian pork producers as 70 per cent of production is exported. In turn, trade supports 103,000 Canadian jobs and $23.8 billion dollars in economic activity for the country.