With funding from the Governments of Canada and British Columbia, the BC Cattlemen's Association will facilitate the development of a business plan to identify investors and supply chain partners and identify any challenges or obstacles that could impede the plant development. BCCA will be investing $16,000 along with $144,000 from the Federal and Provincial governments through Growing Forward 2.
Dan Ruimy, BC MP stated, "The Government of Canada is proud to support the planning of a new federally-inspected plant in Prince George. A sound business plan will lay the groundwork for a successful operation which will bring benefits to the region and make it easier for Canadian beef to reach international markets, contributing to a prosperous and thriving industry."
"The business plan is the final step in due diligence before a significant investment is made in an actual plant," says Kevin Boon, BCCA General Manger. "Investing a few thousand dollars upfront to make sure that a plant is viable is the best thing for B.C. and the BC beef industry."
A viability study was completed in 2015 that indicated that BC could support a federally inspected packing plant but certain sectors of the production chain would need significant infrastructure development. It highlighted the potential for a BC plant to differentiate product for branding and export capabilities.