On Monday, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to nearly $3 million to three national organizations to enhance animal welfare and tracking in the country.
"The dedication of Canadian producers to the welfare of their farm animals is what makes our livestock system world famous. By improving our standards and practices for care and tracking, consumers can be assured that our food system is meeting the highest standards," said Bibeau.
With funding under the AgriAssurance Program, the organizations will draw on new research to update industry standards for the care and handling of animals, and will evaluate technology to more efficiently trace farm animals in the production system in the event of a disease outbreak. The work will support the highest standards in farm animal care. The recipients include:
- Animal Health Canada, located in Elora, Ontario, will receive up to $2.9 million to update national codes of practice for the livestock sector, including the code for the safe and humane transportation of livestock. It has also developed and introduced a code of practice for the aquaculture sector covering farmed salmon, trout and arctic char.