AgriAssurance Program – National Industry Association Component: Step 2. Eligibility

Step 2. Eligibility

Check if you meet the criteria to apply.

Eligibility checklist

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

• You are a not-for-profit organization (an organization that operates solely for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure or recreation, or any other purpose except profit) or Indigenous organization (a First Nation, Métis or Inuit organization)
  • Not-for-profit organizations may include:
    • association of workers and/or employers
    • local community, charitable, voluntary organization
    • sector council
    • corporation
  • Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit): A First Nation, Métis or Inuit organization. They may include:
    • First Nations, Inuit, or Métis community
    • First Nations, Inuit, or Métis association
    • First Nations, Inuit, or Métis not-for-profit organization

• You demonstrate the ability to deliver a national and/or agriculture and agri-food sector-wide project that includes, but is not limited to:
  • participation of relevant industry stakeholders in the project development and/or implementation
  • the ability to implement the project nationally
  • support and buy-in from relevant industry stakeholders in the proposed project through support letters

• You are a legal entity capable of entering into legal binding agreements

Program priorities and eligible activities

The program will prioritize projects that provide confidence to buyers and consumers regarding market attributes and quality standard claims about Canadian agricultural and agri-food products. As well, the program will prioritize projects that:

• help industry respond to emerging consumer concerns in areas such as animal welfare and environmental sustainability
• help industry advance existing assurance systems in the areas of food safety and traceability or create efficiencies by integrating assurance systems
• align with federal/provincial/territorial cost-shared programming, integrating assurance systems throughout the value-chain and leveraging digital platforms and technologies to increase proactive risk management
• advance environmental issues by improving the alignment of Environmental Farm Plans with Best Management Practices

Eligible activities

Eligible activities for the National Industry Association Component are of the following nature and type:

• development, maintenance, enhancement, and integration of assurance systems, standards, and tools
• benchmarking of assurance systems and standards to international or private standards
• development of industry-led surveillance systems for the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and sharing of high-quality data
• integrating assurance systems throughout the value-chain and leveraging digital platforms and technologies to increase proactive risk management
• development and operation of data storage and data management systems above and beyond normal organizational operations
• communication, knowledge transfer, and dissemination of standards, systems, and tools
• alignment of Environmental Farm Plans and Best Management Practices
• development of commodity-level roadmaps for 5 to 10 years to facilitate greater integration of assurance systems and coordination of programming nationally
• other activities that support the objective of the program

Eligible costs

Note: Costs you incur prior to AAFC approval or the project start date may not be reimbursed by AAFC, and you may be solely responsible for those costs.

Eligible costs are project expenses, claimed or contributed, that fall within the set program cost categories and respect all program limitations. To be considered eligible, all costs must be:

• included in the project application form budget
• related to the activities included in the work plan
• fall within the work plan activities timeframe

For more information and details on cost categories, eligible costs, limitations or instructions, refer to eligible costs.

Expected results

The performance indicators for the National Industry Association component, which are used to measure the relevance and effectiveness of the program, include:

• number of assurance projects approved
• percentage of assurance systems advanced or completed
• percentage of assurance projects' implementation plans reported to be functioning

The primary outcomes of the program are to:

• build industry capacity to increase public confidence in the food system
• respond to market and regulatory requirements
• meet consumer demands, through the development, integration and improvement of industry-led assurance systems.

Resiliency and Public Trust Priority Area of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

The program is under the Resiliency and Public Trust Priority Area of Sustainable CAP. Initiatives under this priority area will deliver a range of results aimed at positioning the agriculture and agri-food sector to improve resiliency and enhance public trust. Key outcomes include:

• improved sector awareness, access, and capacity to adopt assurance systems and their benefits
• enhanced proactive risk management through preparedness and better understanding of patterns and emerging market access requirements
• increased sectoral resilience by helping industry develop and enhance their assurance systems

Public trust, that is citizens' confidence in how governments and industry operate, is critical for the agriculture sector, as it drives sector competitiveness and impacts consumer food purchasing patterns. To this end, Federal-only Strategic Initiatives under the Resiliency and Public Trust Priority Area focus on enabling the development and implementation of industry-led sector-specific strategies and equipping industry with tools to manage risks and address challenges to resilience and public trust. Specifically, they aim to support the resilience of value chains and supply chains by addressing animal and plant health issues, supporting stronger assurance systems to support sustainability and building greater consumer confidence in Canadian agriculture.