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HELPING FARMERS ADAPT TO INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

OTTAWA, Ontario, June 11, 2009 – The Government of Canada is launching a five-year, $163 million Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). CAAP will help farm families to respond and adapt to challenges in their operations and will build on the successes of the previous program, Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF).

Projects funded under CAAP will be proposal-based and originate from industry. The program encourages the agricultural industry to work in partnerships across the value chain—farmers, processors, distributors, and retailers—to develop and use innovative solutions and to explore new market opportunities. Projects will address a range of challenges and opportunities including in the areas of traceability, environment, pests and diseases.

There are national, regional, multi-regional components of the program. Eligible recipients for any of the three components of CAAP must be legal Canadian entities capable of entering into a contract. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals, organizations, associations, cooperatives, marketing boards, corporations, aboriginal groups, non-profit organizations, and for-profit companies. Federal, provincial and territorial government departments or agencies, universities, and colleges are not eligible.

The regional aspect of CAAP will be delivered by Industry Councils across the country. The national aspect, delivered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, will fund eligible projects that are national in scope.

Under the regional component of CAAP, the Industry Councils will help farmers across the country exercise leadership in advancing the agricultural sector and provide them with opportunities to work with others to find solutions to shared challenges.

Located in every province and territory, the Industry Councils, will also be able to access additional funding by undertaking collective outcome projects in collaboration with other councils and national organizations.

More information on CAAP and the Industry Councils will be available on the website at www.agr.gc.ca/caap.

For more information, media may contact:

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-759-7972
1-866-345-7972

Meagan Murdoch
Press Secretary
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-759-1059

BACKGROUNDER

Adaptation programming is a means for industry to share risk with governments. Industry, including farmers, takes the lead in addressing issues and the government helps the industry to respond to unanticipated issues, such as new disease outbreaks, and opportunities. It is driven by a focus on improving the industry's competitiveness.

The Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) has been designed to continue to help the agricultural industry plan for the future. It is the successor to previous adaptation programming and will be delivered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in partnership with industry under three program components to meet the needs of Canada's farmers: national, regional, and multi-regional.

CAAP will complement the suite of programs and activities under Canada's new policy framework for agriculture, Growing Forward, including the focus on innovation and the competitiveness for the sector. It is designed not to duplicate activities funded by other federal, provincial, or territorial sources, and it continues many of the successes of the previous adaptation programming.

As part of the Government's commitment to strengthen accountability, both the regional and national aspects of CAAP comply with the new 2008 Policy on Transfer Payments (PTP). The intention of the PTP is to ensure that transfer payment programs, such as CAAP, are managed with integrity, transparency and accountability.

CAAP will focus on concrete industry-led initiatives to help bring innovative ideas to market. For projects that are national in scope, national industry organizations and other eligible applicants may apply for national CAAP funding through AAFC's Adaptation Division through an open application process.

For regional projects, AAFC will maintain its unique delivery system and continue its partnership with the Industry Councils by having them deliver CAAP in the regions. Applicants should contact the Industry Council in their province or territory to access regional or multi-regional funding.

More information on CAAP, the application process, eligibility requirements, and a list of the Industry Councils will be available on the website at www.agr.gc.ca/caap.

To obtain a news release that is more than five years old, contact mediar@agr.gc.ca.