The Governments of Canada and Quebec Grant $300,000 to Foin Saint-Laurent Inc.

Proposed hay drying and processing facility

Quebec City, Quebec, July 23, 2012 - The Honourable Christian Paradis, federal Minister of Industry and Minister of State for Agriculture, and Jean D'Amour, Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Rivière-du-Loup and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, on behalf of the Honourable Pierre Corbeil, Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), Minister responsible for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec regions, and Member of the Quebec National Assembly for Abitibi-Est, are pleased to announce $300,000 in financial assistance to Foin Saint-Laurent Inc. for its project to build a hay drying and processing facility. This assistance is being provided under the Support Program for Sectoral Development Strategies, which is associated with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Agricultural Flexibility Fund.

This company, based in Cacouna since 2002, produces forage crops intended mainly for export. The hay that it produces is sold to various companies in Canada, the United States, England, Ireland, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The new hay drying and processing facility will enable Foin Saint-Laurent to deal with the variability of Quebec's climate and improve product quality.

"With the acquisition of specialized equipment for the production of dry hay, producers throughout the region will from now on be able to maintain their markets and even see them grow both at home and abroad. Government support for this project will enable forage crop producers to increase their income and will contribute to the economic vitality of the region," said Minister Paradis.

"This is a very promising sector, given that a number of export markets are currently in a deficit position. This entire project will therefore be beneficial not only to the company, but also to the region, which will enjoy the project's spinoffs," said Mr. D'Amour.

"It is important to support innovation and development among our province's agribusinesses so that Quebec can become a world leader in the forage crops sector, as it has in other sectors. That is also the objective that we are pursuing with our green paper on Quebec's biofood policy," added Minister Corbeil.

The establishment of hay drying and processing facilities will lead to increased production and a greater presence of Quebec products in export markets as well as to improved competitiveness of the province's businesses.

The forage crops sector is a key lever for Quebec's cattle and sheep farms. Nearly 63% of the province's farm businesses produce forage crops. In 2011, those farms accounted for about 57% of the approximately 2 million hectares planted to field crops. Annual forage production in Quebec hovers around 6 metric tonnes, worth some $780 million.

The financial assistance provided to implement the project comes from the Support Program for Sectoral Development Strategies. This cost-shared program, associated with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Agricultural Flexibility Fund as part of Canada's Economic Action Plan, aims to stimulate growth and strengthen coordination in biofood sectors within a highly competitive and constantly changing business environment. In March 2011, a budget allocation of $16.7 million was announced to support the implementation of this program.

For a full description of the Support Program for Sectoral Development Strategies, please visit the MAPAQ website: www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/strategiessectorielles.

For more information, media may contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972

Margaux Stastny
Director of Operations
Office of the Honourable Christian Paradis
613-773-1107

Chantal Dolan
Press Secretary to the MNA for Rivière-du-Loup and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife
418-868-0822

Marie-Hélène Robert
Policy Advice Coordinator
Communications Directorate
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
418-380-2100, ext. 3512
www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca

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