MEAT PROCESSING INVESTMENT REBATE PROGRAM ISSUES FIRST GRANT

Released on October 20, 2005

Natural Valley Farms has received a payment of almost $630,000 under the new Meat Processing Investment Rebate Program, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman announced today.

The company is the first to receive a payment under the program, announced in June 2005, as part of the province's $37.3 million meat strategy.

"We designed the rebate program to encourage new and expanded slaughter and processing capacity in Saskatchewan," Wartman said. "This is important to our industry to help reduce our reliance on shipping across the border into the United States. Natural Valley Farms' Wolseley plant has created local jobs, and has allowed our beef producers to participate in the value chain by retaining ownership of their value-added product until it is shipped for distribution."

"The Meat Processing Investment Rebate has helped us tremendously, especially as a $5.6 million start up business," Natural Valley Farms Managing Director Ken Piller said. "The impacts and spinoffs have been more than we ever anticipated, we currently employ 53 people and we expect this number to grow as we add new projects."

The rebate program is intended to cover the primary processing of red meat including cattle, hogs, bison, sheep, goats, deer and elk. In the case of secondary processing, both red meat and poultry are eligible.

The Meat Processing Investment Rebate Program offers a 15 per cent rebate on construction costs for federally registered new plant construction or expansion. The rebate also applies to costs associated with a change of status from provincially regulated to federally registered status, or a move from federally registered status to European Union (EU) status.

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For More Information, Contact:

Scott Brown Agriculture and Food Regina Phone: (306) 787-4031 Cell: (306) 536-3851