Closed
Source verified August 11, 2026
Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative
Cost-shared biosecurity support for agriculture businesses
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Funding available
Up to 50% of project cost
Deadline
Closed
Location
Ontario, Canada
Overview
Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative supports agriculture and food businesses by funding projects that address biosecurity risks and emergency preparedness. It covers seven project categories for animal health, livestock traceability, and plant health measures across the agri-food value chain.
Receipt of requests is now closed
Get notified about updates to this grant.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase performance through digital transformation
- Develop a new product or service
- Develop an online presence
Eligible Funding
- Up to 50% of project cost
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Ontario
Legal structures
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- 100 employees maximum
Audience
- All groups
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Reducing animal health risks through biosafety improvements, surveillance, management, assessments, awareness, training, and operational planning.
- Improving livestock traceability equipment and processes.
- Conducting plant health evaluations, biosafety procedures, integrated pest management plans, and plant health training.
- Upgrading sprayers and pesticide application equipment.
- Preventing crop pest introduction and spread through isolation, hygiene, controlled access, quarantine, surveillance tools, pest management, and processing technologies.
Documents Needed
- Completed application form (PDF)
Official resources
Program guide
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Primary Producers
- Processors
- Service Providers
Eligible expenses
- Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees for animal health and plant health biosecurity measures, including access control, cleaning and disinfection, isolation, segregation and quarantine facilities.
- Material costs, equipment costs, equipment rental costs or service fees for livestock traceability equipment, information-sharing networks, barcoding systems and automated product identification systems.
- Third-party training and education, CCA or IPM consulting fees, planning and decision support tools, maps and land resource information, and baseline lab testing as part of IPM.
- Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees to install sprayer upgrades and other eligible sprayer equipment.
- Material costs, equipment rental costs and service fees for pest monitoring and management tools, plant hygiene or treatment equipment, water treatment systems and quarantine or isolation facilities.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Routine maintenance, replacement of worn parts, certification or degree training, recurring sampling and analysis, and any other activity not listed as eligible.
- Activities that do not prevent or reduce biosecurity risks, including work on areas not under biosecurity measures, production-expansion changes, routine diagnostics, treatment, vaccination, and production-related health and safety compliance.
- New buildings not attached to existing production areas, adding an antechamber in a facility built after 1 April 2023 except for quarantine, new water sources, and fences or demarcation for areas not under biosecurity protocols.
- Aquaponic activities and aquaculture, algae, fish, and seafood production or processing activities, except international marketing and traceability for fish and seafood products; land or building purchases and related taxes and fees.
- Application costs, pre- or post-approval costs, non-independent purchases, ordinary operating expenses, incomplete deposits, travel, meals, hotel, report submission costs, duplicate claims, and in-kind expenses.
Selection criteria
- The Project application will be assessed, in part, based on the quality of supporting documentation, such as quotes and sketches, where required.
- Applications will be evaluated based on Impact of the Project in aligning with biosecurity standards and/or a commodity-specific risk management programs.
How to apply
- Read the guidelines on the relevant page.
- Download and complete the application form (PDF) on the page of the required annex.
- Email the completed application form to SustainableCAP3@ontario.ca.
Processing and Agreement
- The Ministry will review the Application Form to determine whether the Applicant is eligible to participate in the Project Category.
- The Ministry will only review a completed Application Form, and incomplete Application Forms will not be accepted.
- Applicants will be notified if they submit an incomplete Application and receive an opportunity to resubmit.
- The Ministry will provide an Approval Letter via Email to successful Applicants.
- A Recipient must submit its Claims to the Ministry for Eligible Costs for completion of its Project via the Ministry’s Claim Portal, and the Claim must be complete and supported by true copies of all paid invoices and proofs of payment.
Additional information
- The Initiative includes 7 Project Categories, with two for animal health and five for plant health.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative Program
What is the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative?
Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative supports agriculture and food businesses by funding projects that address biosecurity risks and emergency preparedness. It covers seven project categories for animal health, livestock traceability, and plant health measures across the agri-food value chain.
How much funding can be received?
Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative Funds up to 50% of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative program?
To be eligible for the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative program, you must:
The project must fit one of the initiative’s seven project categories.
Each category has specific requirements and applicant restrictions.
What expenses are eligible under Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative?
Reducing animal health risks through biosafety improvements, surveillance, management, assessments, awareness, training, and operational planning.
Improving livestock traceability equipment and processes.
Conducting plant health evaluations, biosafety procedures, integrated pest management plans, and plant health training.
Upgrading sprayers and pesticide application equipment.
Preventing crop pest introduction and spread through isolation, hygiene, controlled access, quarantine, surveillance tools, pest management, and processing technologies.
Who can I contact for more information about the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative?
You can contact Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) by email at SustainableCAP3@ontario.ca.
Where is the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative available?
The Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative program is available the province of Ontario.
Is the Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative a grant, loan, or tax credit?
Ontario — Biosecurity Enhancement Initiative is a Grant and Funding