Beef set-aside program has ended

The federal-provincial program to help beef farmers feed and maintain cattle that could not be slaughtered when the Better Beef plant in Guelph shut down in December because of COVID-19 among staff has ended.

The program ended up paying applicants for three weeks because the plant resumed production Dec. 29.

Applications were received Dec. 22, 39 and Jan. 12 and were scheduled for Jan. 18, but program administers deemed the emergency ended soon enough that the Jan. 18 intake was withdrawn.