A new five-year agreement has been worked out between Ontario's farmers and growers, and the government.
It's being called a landmark agreement that will help unleash the potential of local growers and farm families across Ontario and Niagara.
The agreement, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), was signed at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Niagara West,.
(From Left to Right): Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food; Vance Badawey, MP for Niagara Centre; Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West, and Hon. Lisa Thompson, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
"The agreement will provide a wide range of investments that will help improve productivity, competitiveness and resilience in the provincial agri-food sector and enable the province to meet goals outlined in the Grow Ontario Strategy."
It will see upwards of $1.77 billion in support for the agri-food sector in Ontario over the life of the agreement.
Through the Sustainable CAP, $569 million will be invested in strategic initiatives, which is a twenty-five percent increase over the previous funding agreement.
There will also be roughly $1.2 billion for continued, demand-driven, business risk management supports for farmers.
It also includes the launch of the new Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP), a funding initiative to mitigate climate change and support the agricultural sector in better addressing sustainability outcomes.
"The Sustainable CAP is a collaborative effort by the governments of Canada and Ontario to invest in sustainable agriculture, ensure the resilience of production and supply chains and grow the agriculture and food sectors in Ontario," said Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
"This agreement will support growers and farm families in Niagara and across the province for years to come."Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
The deal replaces the Canadian Agricultural Partnership immediately.