Agriculture and agri-food industry safety during COVID-19

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is working closely with stakeholders and other partners to ensure the safety of Ontario's food supply.

For farmers, agri-food businesses and food processors:

• The Enhanced Agri-food Workplace Protection Program will help more operations, including farms, take additional measures to improve the health and safety of agri-food workers in the province during the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the continued supply of locally grown food all year round.
• "Working with farm operators to stop the spread of COVID-19 on farms" toolkit which is a "one stop shop" for farmers on guidance, resources and information related to prevention, control, testing and outbreak management supports;
• Ontario's Prevention, Control and Outbreak Support Strategy for COVID-19 in Ontario's Farm Workers
• Call the Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659 for questions about closures of at-risk workplaces or how emergency measures may impact your business. For more agri-food sector-specific questions, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or email ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
• Check out Ontario Together to find out how your business or organization can help communities withstand the outbreak with innovative solutions and support the province's response to COVID-19.
• Learn about extended deadlines for RMP and contact Agricorp for questions about programs and services. Farmers now have until June 30, 2020 to apply for or make changes to coverage under the risk management programs, RMP for Livestock and RMP: Grains and Oilseeds.

Online COVID-19 resources

• Learn more about how we continue to protect Ontarians from COVID-19, including status of cases in Ontario, symptoms and treatment, laboratory testing, how to protect yourself, how to self-isolate and more.
• Agriculture and food jobs in Ontario - Apply for agriculture, agri-food and food industry jobs to support the response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's COVID-19 Questions and Answers provide information on labour/temporary foreign workers, trade and trade infrastructure, food supply, financial support and programs, food safety and animal health.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's COVID-19 website contains notices to industry regarding actions to preserve the integrity of Canada's food safety system.
• Mental Health for Farmers - First Aid Kit