The federal government’s budget includes $57.5 million over five years to fund a Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine bank, answering a request Beef Farmers of Ontario has had for two years.
“While an FMD outbreak in Canada would be devastating to our sector, having a dedicated vaccine bank in place to ensure early vaccination and a robust response plan will help us control the spread of the disease, and protect our export markets and the livelihoods of farmers as much as possible,” said BFO president Jack Chaffe.
The budget also increased the cap on cash advances from $250,000 to $350,000 for the 2023/24 program year.
Chaffe said BFO is grateful for the interest-free Advance Payment Program loans.
