OTTAWA – The dairy sector is an important contributor to Canada's economy. Canada's dairy sector drives our economy with nearly $24 billionin sales by farmers and food processors. Canada's dairy farmers' prosperity helps ensure Canadian families continue to benefit from high-quality products, and helps create good, well-paying jobs for Canadians.
Speaking today at the Dairy Farmers of Canada annual policy conference, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, highlighted the importance of a strong and competitive dairy industry and provided participants an update on the Dairy Farm Investment Program (DFIP) – the $250 million federal program announced on August 1, 2017. The Minister announced that to date, over 500 dairy producers have been approved for funding support valued at over $23.5 million, in a wide array of projects from small investments in cow comfort equipment to large ones for automated milking systems.
Applications under the associated $100 million Dairy Processing Investment Fund are under review and projects under this program will be announced shortly.
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"The Government of Canada is committed to improving farm productivity and efficiency. The fact that a majority of applicants will have at least one of their projects supported under the Dairy Farm Investment Program is great news for Canada's dairy producers right across the country. These investments are just one of the many ways the Government continues to support the dairy sector to ensure it remains strong."
Quick Facts
- The Dairy Farm Investment Program is a $250 million over five years federal investment that is providing targeted contributions to help Canadian dairy farmers update farm technologies and systems and improve productivity through upgrades to their equipment.
- The sector showed strong interest in the DFIP, submitting more than 2,500 applications.
- Phase one of the program provides funding support in the first three years (2017 – 2020), while the second phase will cover the last two years (2020-2022) of the five-year program.
- For this second phase, priority will be given to producers who did not receive funding in the first round. Producers whoe projects are not funded in phase one will be encouraged to re-apply for the second phase.
- Applicants to the Program have received status update letters on their applications. AAFC officials continue to carefully review each application in the order received.
Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Halifax
