Poultry and egg producers can now apply for compensation funds

PHOTO:Lance Cheung/USDA, via Flickr

OTTAWA — The Government of Canada announced that the Poultry and Egg On-Farm Investment Program (PEFIP) is now accepting applications.

“Our government is delivering on its commitment to compensate supply-managed farmers for the impacts of recent trade agreements,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in a prepared statement. “This program, which launches today, will help Canadian poultry and egg producers be more competitive and make their facilities even more sustainable.”

The PEFIP will provide almost $647 million over ten years to support poultry and egg producers through on-farm investments. Each producer is entitled to an amount proportional to their quota holdings as of Jan. 1, 2021. Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2030, meaning producers can apply when they are ready to make an investment.

Eligible projects include anything that helps a producer increase efficiency or productivity, respond to consumer preferences, or improve on-farm safety, biosecurity or environmental sustainability. This includes new barn construction or upgrades to equipment like feeding, watering, lighting, ventilation, heating, and comfort systems that will promote energy efficiency and reduce an operations environmental footprint.

The Government of Canada will contribute up to 70% of the projects costs, increasing to up to 85% for young farmers, to help ensure a strong future for Canada’s farms. The PEFIP offers producers flexibility to seek funding for eligible activities that started on or after March 19, 2019.

The PEFIP and the Market Development Program for Turkey and Chicken (MDPTC), taken together, total more than $691 million over ten years. These programs respond directly to requests from producer associations and provide full and fair compensation to supply-managed sectors for market access concessions made under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).