Meat Plant Assistance Program (MPAP)

What is it?

Financial assistance for provincial meat plants to help them comply with the new meat regulation, Ontario Regulation 31/05.

On June 1, 2005 a new meat regulation came into effect. Ontario Regulation 31/05 applies to all abattoirs and free standing meat plants. To comply with the regulation, meat plants may be faced with substantial costs to upgrade their operations.

Meat plants that must comply with Ontario Regulation 31/05 can receive a direct grant to off-set the costs associated with bringing their operation into compliance.

What is the benefit to your company?

The Meat Plant Assistance Program (MPAP) is designed to help meat plants by providing funding for costs directly related to meeting the new standards. Grants are provided on a cost share basis, with 50% being contributed by government for capital costs and 75% for non-capital costs.

The program provides:

• a maximum total provincial contribution of $25,000 per plant
• a $25,000 maximum grant for projects when MPAP provides 50% of eligible project costs
• a $10,000 maximum grant per plant when MPAP covers 75% of the eligible non-capital costs

Who Qualifies?

Any meat plant that is, or will be, subject to the requirements of the meat regulation, Ontario Regulation 31/05.

For Example….

A barn

• After its annual audit, a slaughter plant found out that it needed to build a barn to house animals. After building the barn and holding pens, the plant was reimbursed for the costs it submitted. These costs included:
• drawing up plans for the new holding barn,
• the excavation, foundation and construction of the barn.

Upgrades

• A Free Standing Meat Plant about to be licensed realized that it needed some plant upgrades to comply with the new meat regulation. So it resurfaced its walls with cleanable material, re-poured a floor that was cracked, installed refrigeration in the processing area, replaced rusting equipment, and added a change room for employees. After submitting its application and costs to MPAP, the plant was reimbursed for:
  
• all of the material and labour costs for preparing and then resurfacing the walls, and removing the old floor and re-pouring the new one,
• the purchase and installation cost of the refrigeration unit,
• the purchase of new and used stainless steel equipment,
• the material and labour to build an addition to create an employee change room.

How do I apply?

You can get application forms by contacting the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) at 1-866-641-3663 or by downloading them from the OMAFRA website at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/mpap/index.html.

Applications can be submitted by fax to 1-519-826-4466 or by mail to:

Meat Plant Assistance Program
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
1 Stone Road West,
Guelph, Ontario,
N1G 4Y2

Where can I find more information?

More program details are available online at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/mpap/index.html. Or you can also phone toll-free for more information at 1-866-641-3663.