Canada and B.C. invested nearly $1.4 million to support business development, innovation, food safety and sustainability under the Growing Forward Agreement in the fourth quarter of 2012-13.

Growing Forward was a five-year framework that co-ordinated federal, provincial and territorial agriculture policy. It was succeeded by Growing Forward 2 on April 1, 2013.

Between Jan. 1, 2013, and March 31, 2013, the following funding was provided under Growing Forward:

• ARDCorp: $371,228 for the Beneficial Management Practice Program (BMP).

• ARDCorp: $99,552 for the Environmental Farm Plan Program (EFP).

• ARDCorp: $311,622 for the Enterprise Infrastructure Traceability Program (EIT).

• ARDCorp: $95,988 for the Food Safety Systems Implementation Program (FSSI).

• B.C. Broiler Hatching Egg Commission: $6,000 for Farm Level Control Effort Projects.

• B.C. Cattlemen's Association: $9,000 for the Windermere District Farmers Institute Demonstration Project.

• BC Chicken Marketing Board: $5,024 for the Program Delivery of the Control of Antimicrobial Use in Poultry - Prescription Only Initiative Project.

• BC Greenhouse Growers' Association: $17,000 for Addressing Gaps in the Biosecurity Guidelines for Post-harvest Greenhouse Tomato Project.

• British Columbia Institute of Technology: $58,631 for the Pilot Program for Provenance Authentication and Product Quality analysis for BC Agri-Food and Agri-Products.

• B.C. Investment Agriculture Foundation: $331,048 for the Canada-B.C. Agri-Innovation Program.

• Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia: $2,000 for Support for Speakers at the COABC 2013 Organics Conference.

• Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corporation: $8,750 for Alternate Crop/Forest Farming Field Pilot Project - Phase 4.

• Small Scale Food Processor Association: $48,566 for the Food Safety Systems Implementation (Processor) Program.

• University of British Columbia: $8,000 for the Identification of On-farm Microbial Reservoirs and Contamination Routes as a Means to Develop Improved Produce Intervention Strategies.

Total: $1,372,409

These cost-shared funds were part of the $78 million invested under Growing Forward in a number of non-Business Risk Management programs designed to help farmers and other participants in the agricultural and agri-food industry increase their competitiveness and profitability.

The Growing Forward agreement also included up to $475 million in B.C. to help provide income stability and insurance against losses through Business Risk Management programs.

In September 2012, federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture agreed to the next policy framework, Growing Forward 2, which represents a $3-billion investment over five years in strategic initiatives for innovation, competitiveness and market development. It came into effect on April 1, 2013, when the Growing Forward policy framework expired.

For more information on provincial Growing Forward programs, visit: http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/apf/GF_Programs.html

For more information on Growing Forward 2, visit: www.agr.gc.ca/GrowingForward2

Media Contact:

Dave Townsend
Ministry of Agriculture
250 356-7098