Grow the Herd Pilot Program

• The applicant must be a Mi’kmaq First Nation, another Indigenous group involved in beef production, an agricultural producer, or another entity approved by the Prince Edward Island Livestock Strategy Program Review Committee.
• The applicant must hold a current Premise Identification Number in Prince Edward Island.
• For the Heifer or Cow Retention/Purchase Incentive, the applicant must submit a herd growth plan outlining herd expansion goals and how they will be achieved.
• The project must focus on expanding the beef cow herd in PEI through retention or purchase of eligible bred animals and/or on activities related to marketing the Certified Island Beef (CIB) brand.
• For Certified Island Beef (CIB) incentives, the applicant must market or finish animals for CIB-approved feedlots or supply CIB-eligible cattle to Atlantic Beef Products, meeting the program’s documentation and CIB requirements.

Who is eligible?

• Mi’kmaq First Nations and other Indigenous groups involved in beef production
• Agricultural producers engaged in beef production
• Feedlot operators supplying cattle to Atlantic Beef Products under the Certified Island Beef brand
• Backgrounders raising cattle destined for Certified Island Beef feedlots
• Dairy/beef producers marketing or retaining animals for Certified Island Beef feedlots

Who is not eligible

• Businesses that are not involved in beef production (the program is clearly targeted to beef producers, including cow–calf and feedlot operations, and incentives are tied to beef cattle and the Certified Island Beef brand).
• Operations that do not have a valid Premise Identification Number, as this is explicitly required for all recipients.
• Producers wishing to fund the purchase of bulls, feeders, calves, open heifers, open cows, or commercial or registered dairy cattle, since these animal categories are listed as ineligible expenses.

Eligible expenses

• Possession or purchase of bred heifers, bred cows or cow–calf pairs above and beyond the usual 5% replacement rate, with veterinary confirmation of pregnancy or presence of calf.
• Activities and costs directly related to the marketing and promotion of the Certified Island Beef (CIB) brand.
• Certified Island Beef Marketing Supplement: support per head for animals marketed to a CIB-approved feedlot or retained for finishing in a CIB feedlot.
• Certified Island Beef Grade Supplement: per-head support for cattle supplied to Atlantic Beef Products that meet Certified Island Beef carcass and grading requirements.

Eligible geographic areas

• Businesses operating in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

• Projects are assessed on a first-come, first-served basis for their merit and impact.
• Projects must demonstrate that they can be completed within the timeframe outlined in the funding agreement.
• Projects are subject to available annual funding and may be funded below the maximum contribution rate after assessment.

• The Grow the Herd Pilot Program operates under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a federal–provincial–territorial cost-shared framework.
• All retained or purchased heifers supported under the program must remain in the herd for a minimum of two years, unless removed for documented health or production reasons.
• Annual reporting and on-farm audits may be conducted for herds with retained or on-farm finished animals to verify compliance and outcomes.
• Each animal is eligible to receive only one retention grant under this program and this support cannot be combined with other programs for the same animal.