The Government of Canada is making a $162.6 million investment in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) over the next five years. Approximately $40 million per year will be set aside to maintain the integrity of Canada's food safety system, protecting plant and animals' health to safeguard the food supply, and provide support to Canadian businesses to be able to survive during pandemic interruptions and global trade volatility. 

The government's investment in the CFIA will allow the Agency to be able to respond quickly to import and export activities, as well as perform surveillance and be able to digitize forms and documents. 

The funding will enable the CFIA to respond and detect new food pathogens, invasive species, and animal diseases. It will also increase the CFIA's ability for inspection, surveillance, and oversight programs. Its digital services will also be expanded, so that more Canadian businesses can benefit from new tools for risk management and inspection. 

This investment will also ensure that Canada will have one of the most modern and effective food safety programs in the world, as well as an effective plant and animal protection system, thus enhancing Canada's reputation as a trusted trading partner.

Quick facts:

• This investment represents approximately a 5 percent increase to CFIA's annual budget, and builds on a number of other investments the Government of Canada has made in the CFIA over the past years.

• For the first eleven months of 2020, Canadian agri-food and seafood exports increased by 10.1 percent, reaching $67.5 billion compared to $61.4 billion at the same time last year. Exports have already surpassed last year's record of $67 billion. 

• Total Canadian agri-food imports reached $53.9 billion in 2019. 

• Over the last seven years, the number of export certificates for food, plant and animal products issued by the CFIA has increased by an average of 6 percent per year, going from close to 384,000 certificates in 2014 to approximately 545,000 certificates in 2020. 

• This funding supports the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food's mandate of "maximizing the Government's policy and financial tools to support the sector, particularly its global export growth potential." 

• The agriculture and agri-food industry alone contributes over $110B annually to Canada's gross domestic product. 

• Canada has 14 Free Trade Agreements, covering 51 countries, giving Canadian agri-food industry a competitive edge in 2/3 of the global market.