Assurance Systems Program

The Assurance Systems Program is designed to improve the anticipation, mitigation and response to risks by providing assistance to address risks related to humans, animals and plants through project-driven and other outcome-based approaches.

The Assurance Systems Program will provide assistance for activities to support the implementation of recognized assurance systems on-farm, in food processing enterprises, and/or post-farm agri-food enterprises. This project-driven program will be primarily directed at agricultural industry groups and post-farm enterprises that market or modify raw agricultural products. Industry will set their priorities and lead producer adoption of systems that benefit the sector as a whole or benefit a large portion of the sector’s producers. Submissions from individuals may be considered based on merit and potential benefit to the industry. 

This program will also provide support for surveillance and emergency management preparedness and planning.

Assurance systems include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• On-farm food safety programs;
• Food safety control programs, including nationally developed sector HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) programs and GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) recognized programs;
• Humane treatment of animals;
• Animal welfare codes of practice;
• Abattoirs and deadstock; 
• Biosecurity protocols and/or standards;
• Anti-microbial usage and planning;
• Traceability implementation plans;
• Development of multi-commodity premises identification system;
• Development of assurance systems that provide verifiable claims to buyers domestically and internationally; 
• Surveillance systems; and
• Other assurance systems that support market-pull attributes.

Am I eligible to apply for Assurance Systems funding?

The following includes a summary of program and funding eligibility. Before completing the application form, please review program and funding criteria in the Assurance Systems Program Guidelines .

Eligible Recipients

• Mi’kmaq First Nations and other Indigenous groups;
• Agriculture industry organizations, clubs, and associations;
• Public, private, and academic research bodies; and
• Others as determined by the Assurance Systems Program Review Committee.

Eligible Activities/Expenses

Activities to support the implementation of recognized assurance systems, including: 

• Awareness and outreach; 
• Training and education; 
• Technical assistance; 
• Pre-audit and first audit assistance; 
• Maintenance and enhancement of provincial premises identification and traceability systems and databases; 
• Premises identification program management; 
• Implementation costs, such as equipment and infrastructure; 
• Consulting work; 
• Emergency management, mitigation, prevention and preparedness; 
• Surveillance initiatives; and 
• Initiatives related to antimicrobial resistance. 

What do I need to complete the application form?

Information required for all programs:

Application Form

• Applicant contact information;
• Business or organization information, including CRA registration number;
  • If applicable, Partnership information
• Project start and end date; 
• Additional sources of project funding;
• Recipient type (i.e. primary producer, agricultural landowner, processor);
• Type of industry (i.e. Dairy, potato, beef, hog, grains and oilseeds);
• Signature for declaration and consent to personal information; and
• Demographic information (optional).

Assurance Systems Project Details:

• Project proposal (1-2) pages with the following sections:
  • Cover page;
  • Executive summary;
  • Project objectives;
  • Timeline;
  • Results;
  • Sustainable CAP Outcome; 
  • Climate change/carbon sequestration;
  • Budget;
  • Evaluation;
  • Communication of support (if applicable)

For more information contact:

PEI Department of Agriculture 
11 Kent Street
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown PE C1A 7N8
Telephone: (902) 368-4880
Email: assurance@gov.pe.ca 

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a new $3.5-billion, 5-year agreement (April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2028), between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. The agreement includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities funded by federal, provincial and territorial governments..