March 29, 2023

Canada has announced funding for a foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank

Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Federal Finance Minister, has announced funding for a food-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank in the country's 2023/24 budget, as well as additional funding for eastern Canadian farmers to use less imported fertiliser, The Western Producer reported.

CND 57.5 million (~US$42.2 million; CND 1 = US$0.73) will be allocated to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency over five years, starting in this fiscal year, to establish the FMD vaccine bank and create response plans.

The Canadian government plans to ask the territories and provinces to split the costs of the initiative.

The Canadian cattle industry has been requesting a vaccine bank because it cannot rely on neighbouring US to share its vaccine supply in the event an animal disease spreads to North America.

Through the On-Farm Climate Action Fund, eastern Canadian farmers who rely primarily on fertiliser imported from Russia will be eligible for CND 34.1 million (~US$25 million) over three years to support nitrogen management practises that will help optimise the use and reduce the need for fertiliser.

The budget also suggests giving Agriculture Canada CND 13 million (~US$9.5 million) to raise the interest-free cap on the Advance Payments Programme to CND 350,000 (~US$257,000) for the 2023 programme year.

The Canadian government also said it will consult with the provinces to figure out how to provide financial assistance to small producers who need financial aid.

As the Canadian dairy industry struggles with an expanding surplus of the processing byproduct, a CND 333 million (~US$244 million) fund will be made available over ten years to support research and development of new products using solids non-fat.

-      The Western Producer