Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament (Central-Nova), announced an investment of C$70,000 which will help Antigonish Abattoir upgrade their plant equipment and data tracking software and improve their traceability system.

"Canadian livestock producers have a great product to sell and that's why our Government is helping producers and meat processing here in Central Nova to capture new market opportunities beyond our shores," said Minister MacKay, who made the announcement on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "If meat processors are profitable and competitive, our producers will be able to access new markets and better prices for their top quality product making our economy stronger for the future."

Founded in 1963, Antigonish Abattoir employs 40 people and has the capacity to process 400 hogs and 150 lambs per week.

"Antigonish Abbatoir is pleased to work with the federal Government so that we could access this loan," said Herman Berfelo, President of Antigonish Abattoir Ltd. "This investment will help us upgrade our plant equipment and better track our production giving us a competitive edge when processing and selling our product to domestic and foreign markets."

The Government of Canada's $50-million Slaughter Improvement Programme makes federal loans available to support sound business plans aimed at reducing costs, increasing revenues and improving operations of red meat packing and processing operations in Canada. The 2010 Budget provided an additional C$10 million for the program.

With more than C$20 billion in sales, the red meat industry is the single largest employer in the food industry in Canada.