Farmers in British Columbia will be able to get up to $3,000 each in public funds for approved on-farm food safety projects through a new program.
The new Food Safety Systems Implementation (FSSI) program will get up to $2.4 million to help farmers carry out their individual plans on the way to safety certification, the federal and provincial governments announced Friday.
The program, funded through the federal/provincial Growing Forward ag policy framework, is also expected to promote food safety awareness and deliver educational programs to farmers.
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The program will reimburse 90 per cent of eligible costs up to $3,000 per farm for approved projects.
The FSSI program for producers is to be delivered by the B.C. Agriculture and Research Corporation (ARDCorp). Abbotsford-based ARDCorp’s website on Monday asked that farmers “check back in April 2010 for future possibilities” relating to FSSI.
“Support for food safety management programs on-farm will mean our local producers will have the tools to be proactive in addressing food borne risks that could potentially be encountered along the agri-food chain,” provincial Ag Minister Steve Thomson said in a release Friday.
A separate FSSI program for processors, announced in July last year, is to be delivered provincewide by the Small Scale Food Processors Association of B.C., based in Nanaimo.
