Manitoba farmers applied for funding to improve biosecurity, traceability, food safety and quality, and animal health practices on their farms.

The two governments provided up to 65 per cent of total eligible costs.

"On-farm food safety is a priority for Manitoba's farmers," said Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn .

"These projects will help ensure producers have the resources and tools available to continue implementing best practices.

“The programme is tailored to meet the needs of Manitoba farms and supports our shared commitment to provide safe food to consumers."

More than half of all projects (165) will take place on pig farms. Projects were also approved for beef (46), poultry (40) and bee (22) operations. Sixteen projects were funded on dairy, horticulture, grains and oilseeds and other livestock farms.

"Canadian farmers are globally recognised for producing safe and high quality products," said Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

"Our government is proud to invest in projects like these that help meet consumer demands and provide growth and prosperity opportunities for our farmers."

Projects are funded under Growing Forward 2's Growing Assurance - Food Safety On-Farm program. To be eligible, producers must have implemented a national on-farm food safety program for their commodity.

The federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets. For more information about Growing Assurance, go to www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/growing-forward-2 under Strategic Initiatives.