The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec have allocated financial assistance of up to $192,907 to two swine health and welfare projects.

“Healthy animals raised in accordance with the latest animal welfare standards mean a growing swine industry. The government is proud to support this industry, which contributes to achieving our objective of exporting $75 billion in agri-food products by 2025, and which provides good-paying jobs for middle-class families.”

- Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary to the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

“PRRS is a worldwide problem in the swine industry. In the municipality of Saint-Elzéar alone, it causes losses of $500,000 per year. Eradicating some strains of this disease will help our producers hold their own in a fiercely competitive global market. Our pork already has an excellent reputation among consumers; we have to take steps to safeguard that status. As for needle-free injections, technology is evolving and swine producers are adapting to the new tools. They care about the health and well-being of their animals. This project will make it possible to find better solutions, for the benefit of both animals and humans.”

- André Lamontagne, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

“Swine production is an important economic driver in our region. The repercussions of PRRS affect not only producers, but also those who work in the processing, sales and restaurant sectors. This pilot project is sure to benefit swine producers across the Beauce, and more specifically those in Saint-Elzéar.”

- Luc Provençal, MNA for Beauce-Nord

• The Programme de développement sectoriel, co-funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will provide up to $25 million in support for industry development over the next five years.

• The pork industry is Quebec’s second-largest agri-food sector, both in terms of cash receipts from the market ($1.37 billion) and in value of processed products ($4.1 billion) in 2017. The industry is also Quebec’s largest biofood sector exporter, with a value of nearly $1.6 billion in 2017.

• The swine industry’s structure is such that 100% of its production can be raised, slaughtered and processed here in Quebec. The sector employs 28,000 people.

• The industry encompasses a total of 2,121 production businesses and 25 companies devoted processing and further processing.

• The Canada–Quebec Agreement on the Implementation of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership provides for a total of $293 million in funding from the federal and Quebec governments over five years, from 2018 to 2023. This agreement supports strategic initiatives that will help the sectors grow, innovate and prosper.

Associated links

• Partenariat canadien pour l’agriculture (Canadian Agricultural Partnership - in French only)
• Programme de développement sectoriel (in French only)

Katie Hawkins
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
613-773-1059
katie.hawkins@canada.ca

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