December 13, 2004 Albany, Prince Edward Island More than $ 1.4 million in traceability initiatives for Atlantic Beef Products Inc. in Albany, P.E.I. were announced today by the Government of Canada. A vital component in tracing cattle moving from the farm through the new facility and out to retail stores, the traceability announcement was made by the Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Honourable Wayne Easter, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Agri-Food, on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Andy Mitchell. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is providing $920,000 through the Strategic Community Investment Fund (SCIF) for the purchase of traceability equipment at the plant. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is providing up to $500,000 in funding in support of in-plant employee training on state-of-the-art food traceability equipment and outreach activities for Maritime cattle producers who will supply the plant with cattle. This could include training and development of tools to manage farm production information, and will assist the industry to brand their product and capture additional market returns. "This system will be the first of its kind in Canada and will allow for the complete trace of beef products from the farm through this plant to the retail stores," noted the Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "This will give Maritime beef a boost in the marketplace and as this will be the first use of this system in Canada, it will provide a valuable opportunity to test and evaluate it for possible future use by other plants." "Providing this new facility the ability to track the history of animals moving through the plant builds on the quality beef-branding initiative developed by the Atlantic beef producers," said Mr. Easter. "It will allow the plant to meet consumer demands for higher levels of product traceability to further ensure food safety." Managed by ACOA, the SCIF program was designed to strengthen the economic base of rural communities in Atlantic Canada. The formation of Atlantic Beef Products Inc. will support 190 beef growers in the Maritime Provinces by providing access to a processing facility for their livestock. These farmers will now see an additional benefit from the implementation of a traceability system, which will make their products more attractive on the open market. The beef processing facility will also create 65 full-time year round jobs in PEI with an estimated total payroll of $2.5 million per year. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's contribution to the traceability initiative announced today comes from the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF). The APF is helping to strengthen the P.E.I. agriculture and agri-food industry in the areas of the environment, food safety and quality, renewal, science and innovation and international trade. - 30 - Ron Crozier Office of the Minister for ACOA (902) 888-4150 Wes Harrison ACOA PEI & Tourism (902)368-0842 Elizabeth Whiting Press Secretary Minister Mitchell's Office (613) 759-1059 Media Relations Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Ottawa (613) 759-7972
