The Ontario government, along with the federal government, are investing $2.25 million in order to help farmers better protect employees and ensure the continued supply of healthy food products for consumers during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ontario government says in a news release on May 14.
“This additional support will help Ontario farmers quickly adopt new on-farm measures and practices that follow the best public health guidance, so they can continue to focus on their critical work of feeding Canadians,” Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal agriculture and agri-food minister, says in the release.
Through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP), the federal and provincial governments are launching the second intake of the Agri-food Workplace Protection Program to help farmers enhance health and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the release says. The funding will be used to help farmers purchase personal protective equipment, enhance cleaning and disinfection and redesign workstations. Support is also available for farmers who experienced unexpected costs for housing and transportation as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak among on-farm employees.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) is now accepting applications and will expedite the approval process, the release says.
This funding is in addition to the May 8 announcement of a $2.25 million investment for meat processing plants.
