441-02232 (Food and drink)

Whereas:

• The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food recommends that the Government of Canada increase its support to local and regional food system sustainability such as by encouraging:
  • - The development of small-scale community-based food systems;
  • - The building of local processing capacity, including regional slaughter capacity; and
  • - The development and expansion of initiatives aiming to strengthen food security such as the Local Food Infrastructure Fund;
• The Government understands that there is a need to strengthen local and regional production, processing and distribution to ensure that our food systems are resilient and innovative and promote food security for Canadians;
• Processing utilization in Ontario has increased from approximately 70% in 2015 to 100% in 2021. In 2021, Ontario provincial processing numbers were up approximately 20% on 2020 and 5-year averages and the processing volumes did not change in 2022 resulting in an unsustainable utilization rate at provincial abattoirs;
• Many processing plants are operating at or above capacity for significant portions of the year due to increased beef demand;
• While the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the focus on processing capacity, the beef sector across eastern Canada has had to contend with capacity challenges for some time due to a variety of factors that have led to periodic supply bottlenecks, significant negative pressure on farm gate prices, and lost market opportunities;
• Some beef farmers must wait six to nine months and in many cases up to one year in advance to have their cattle processed at provincial facilities;
• The abattoir, located at Joyceville Institution on Highway 15 in Ontario closed at the end of September 2022;
• The closure has put even more strain on processing at abattoirs negatively impacting processing wait times even more for beef farmers in Lanark and Frontenac counties; and
• The closure has had negative economic impacts on neighbouring businesses and restaurants that relied on products from the abattoir.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to explore all options to ensure the abattoir located at Joyceville Institution is re-opened to address the issues noted above.