The Prince Edward Island and federal governments have agreed to set up a new working group to “explore options to deal with current issues facing the red meat sector.”
The announcement Monday follows meetings last week in Ottawa between provincial Agriculture Minister George Webster and his federal counterpart, Gerry Ritz.
Webster and Ritz said they agreed on the need for “flexible programming to deal with specific issues such as those facing the livestock industry.”
The working group would include federal, provincial and industry representatives from the region, and would also discuss programming options under the federal government’s $500 million Agricultural Flexibility Fund.
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“By working closely with the federal government, our government is helping Prince Edward Island producers take advantage of all possible opportunities offered by national programs,” Webster said Monday. “We will continue to explore mechanisms through which policies can be tailored to work better for our producers.”
Webster and Ritz said they also discussed “federal/industry collaboration” on an upcoming potato trade mission to Algeria, Oct. 16-21. The mission is to be led by the P.E.I. potato industry and include representatives from the P.E.I. Potato Board, P.E.I Department of Agriculture and Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
