NEW LONDON, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND--(Marketwired - Oct. 13, 2016) - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)

Member of Parliament for Malpeque, Wayne Easter on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay today announced an investment of up to $345,720 to the Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF) to implement the Scrapie Eradication Strategic Plan for the sheep and goat industries.

This project will provide sheep and goat producers with the information and tools necessary to combat scrapie, a fatal disease affecting sheep and goats. The project will help mitigate economic losses to sheep and goat producers, reduce the cost of disease control actions, regain market access, and explore new market opportunities.

Quick Facts

• Canada is world-renowned for its high-quality livestock. For 2014, Canadian farm cash receipts for goats, sheep and lambs totaled nearly $187 million. 
• This project will expand the existing the Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Program (VSFCP), a national flock/herd scrapie risk management program available to any sheep or goat farmer in Canada who agrees to meet the requirements of the program.
• The funding is being made through Growing Forward 2's, AgriMarketing Program, a five-year, up to $341 million initiative.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the livestock sector in gaining and maintaining access to markets by leveraging Canada's reputation for quality and safety. This investment will help ensure that Canadian sheep and goat producers have a plan in place to help meet buyer and market demands."

- Member of Parliament for Malpeque, Wayne Easter

"I would like to applaud Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for investing in our industry and for partnering with the Canadian Sheep Federation to implement the Scrapie Eradication Strategic Plan. Together we can eradicate scrapie from the national sheep flock and goat herd. This program will move the small ruminant industry closer to negligible risk status for scrapie, with a goal of protecting Canadian farmers from disease loses, re-establishing lost markets and creating opportunities for future trade."

- Canadian Sheep Federation Chairman, Phil Kolodychuk

Associated Links

- Growing Forward 2 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

- AgriMarketing (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

- Canadian Sheep Federation

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