Minister MacAulay attends Seafood Expo North America in Boston to promote Canadian Seafood

OTTAWA, ON, March 12, 2024 /CNW/ - Building on a successful mission to Southeast Asia where he officially opened Canada's first-ever trade office for agriculture and seafood in the Indo-Pacific region, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to Boston, Massachusetts this week to attend Seafood Expo North America, the largest seafood trade exposition in North America.

In Boston, Minister MacAulay was joined by his federal colleagues, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and representatives from a number of provincial governments including several premiers and provincial ministers of agriculture and fisheries.

During the expo, Minister MacAulay, along with Ministers Lebouthillier and Hutchings, opened the Canada Pavilion which featured Canadian businesses and promoted Canadian fish and seafood products. This year, the Pavilion was hosted by the Government of New Brunswick.

Minister MacAulay took the opportunity to visit the exhibitors and connect with Canadian businesses to show support for fish and seafood harvesters and exporters. During the visit, the Minister highlighted new federal funding of over $2.8 million for eight projects under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's AgriMarketing program to help promote and expand markets for Canadian fish and seafood.

As part of his visit, the Minister travelled to Quincy, Massachusetts to meet with representatives from the Bay State Milling Company, a 125-year old company with operations in the U.S. that recently expanded to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to discuss ways of enhancing ties and expanding business within Canada and to promote sustainable and innovative agriculture. The Bay State Milling's Saskatoon facility produces approximately 65,000 metric tons of identity preserved, gluten-free oats annually, over 60 per cent of which are exported to the U.S..

The connections made during Minister MacAulay's visit will help strengthen trade ties between Canada and the United States, which will drive economic growth and deliver more opportunities for fish and seafood harvesters, as well as agriculture and agri-food producers on both sides of the border.

Quote

"Our trading relationships are so vitally important and it was great to attend Seafood Expo North America to connect with our North American and other international partners to showcase our high-quality, sustainable fish and seafood. Canada's seafood sector supports countless small, coastal communities, including at home on Prince Edward Island, and I will continue working to create more opportunities for our hard-working fishers and exporters." 

-       The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Quick facts

• Canada is the second largest agricultural customer of the United States – and the number one agriculture export market for over half of U.S. states.
• Canada and the United States are important trade partners for agri-food and seafood, with bilateral trade in these areas reaching $97 billion (CAD) in 2023.
• In 2023, Canada exported $4.88 billion (CAD) in fish and seafood products to the United States.
• Canadian companies employ almost 900,000 workers in the United States and nearly 8 million U.S. jobs are tied to trade with Canada.
• Canada Brand helps global consumers recognize Canadian food and beverage products and showcases the diverse range of products from our varied landscape from coast to coast to coast.
• The AgriMarketing Program is a $129.97 million program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The program helps grow the economy by increasing and diversifying Canadian exports of agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products, including fish and seafood, by increasing the visibility of Canadian products and increasing the capacity of exporting producers to identify and seize market development opportunities in targeted markets.

Associated links

• Canada-United States Bilateral Agricultural and Agri-food Trade
• Agriculture and Food Market Intelligence – United States
• CUSMA
• Canada Brand
• News Release - Minister MacAulay promotes Canada's world-class products in Malaysia and the Philippines
• News Release - Minister MacAulay opens Canada's first-ever Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office
• AgriMarketing Program

Backgrounder

AgriMarketing funding for seafood and fish sector

The Government of Canada announced over $2.83 million in funding for eight projects under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's AgriMarketing Program. Work on these projects started in 2023 and will run for three fiscal years until 2026. These projects are designed to facilitate the promotion and expansion of markets for Canadian seafood and fish.

The AgriMarketing Program is a $129.97 million Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership that supports national agricultural sectors to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities.

The eight AgriMarketing projects announced today are:

Recipient Organization	AAFC Funding	Location	Project Focus
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance	$17,738	Ottawa, ON	This project aims to expand global market share and sales of Canadian farmed seafood through semi-annual attendance at trade shows in Norway and annual attendance at trade shows in the United States.
Canadian Association of Prawn Producers	$1,320,000	Manotick, ON	This project aims to strengthen Canada's cold-water shrimp market in China and continue to explore opportunities to increase and diversify exports in other international markets. The project involves engaging in cost-effective exploratory promotional activities over the next three fiscal years, in various global markets, to evaluate their effectiveness.
Canadian Highly Migratory Species Foundation	$135,005	Victoria, BC	This project aims to increase the international profile of Canadian Albacore tuna and support the sector's fishers, processors, and wholesalers in their international trade efforts. This project will involve annual attendance at trade shows, conducting annual outgoing missions, and the development of a long-term international strategy.
Canadian Pacific Kazunoko Association	$660,000	Vancouver, BC	This project aims to preserve the premium price of kazunoko (herring roe) in the Japanese market and includes a co-branding partnership strategy over the next three fiscal years, sampling sales, and consumer advertising. The project also includes annual attendance at trade shows and industry events, such as exhibitions and seminars, showcasing Canadian herring roe.
Pacific Prawn Fishermen's Association	$98,000	Vancouver, BC	This project aims to expand awareness of spot prawns through promotion at annual trade shows in Spain, the United States, and Canada. The project also involves the development of promotional material for international markets.
Pacific Sea Cucumber Harvesters Association	$135,050	Union Bay, BC	This project aims to increase the appeal and understanding of the Pacific sea cucumber within existing markets and to extend this knowledge to new markets. The project includes digital and print marketing, market research, annual attendance at trade shows, and outgoing missions.
Pacific Urchin Harvesters Association	$210,440	Richmond, BC	This project aims to consolidate and build on existing Pacific urchin markets and develop knowledge of, and appeal to, new markets. The project will involve digital marketing, market research, annual outgoing missions, and trade show attendance.
U.H.A Research Society	$255,168	Vancouver, BC	This project aims to understand how Canadian geoduck consumer behaviour has changed post-pandemic, to explore and develop new markets, and to expand the overall awareness of geoduck. This project will involve annual attendance at trade shows and promotional events, outgoing missions, and a digital marketing campaign.

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Contacts: For Media: Francis Chechile, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, [email protected]; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]