For immediate release: 01 May2006
Mcguinty Government Assists Farmers By Supporting Vital
Service For Livestock Producers
Funding To Assist With Deadstock Disposal Projects And Collection
ATWOOD - The McGuinty government is continuing to assist Ontario's
farmers by supporting affordable deadstock collection, Minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs Leona Dombrowsky announced today.
"We are providing $4 million in new funding to provide transitional
support for deadstock collection," said Dombrowsky. "This will
ensure that Ontario has continued deadstock removal in the short term,
and provides time to develop a sustainable plan for managing livestock
mortalities in the future."
The minister also announced the government was providing $1.7 million
to support Atwood Pet Food Limited, in Atwood. Atwood Pet Food has made
a commitment to the livestock industry to find an affordable, environmentally
safe rendering and recycling system for a portion of livestock mortalities,
which are an everyday part of livestock farming in Ontario.
"I am proud to have been a strong advocate for the vision of an
environmentally and economically sustainable future proposed by Atwood
Pet Food," said John Wilkinson, MPP for Perth-Middlesex. "I
want to thank Minister Dombrowsky for helping to make that vision a reality."
"This plant was identified by the Livestock Mortality Recycling
Assistance Program as a vital facility to deal with the challenges that
have come since BSE," said program coordinator Graeme Hedley. "Atwood
Pet Food will help us meet the industry's needs."
The McGuinty government has supported an affordable deadstock collection
system throughout the BSE crisis. In total, more than $9 million has gone
to support this service that is so important to Ontario's livestock producers.
"Ministry staff will continue to work with industry and government
partners to develop safe and innovative long-term solutions to deadstock
disposal issues," said Dombrowsky. "We are all interested in
building opportunities for our agricultural and rural communities now
and in the future."
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Contact:
Christopher Flavelle
Minister's Office
(416) 326-3072
