Agri-Food

General Industry Profile

Greater Montréal has a world-class agri-food industry which is centred around the processing and distribution of food and drink products. This sector includes more than 45,000 employees. The Montréal region is also the host of more than a dozen public and quasi-public research centers in the agri-food sector.

Key Figures

More than 45,000 employees

$3.6B in exports (2008)

Nearly 1,000 students in areas related to food processing

Benefits of the Region

Labour

Greater Montréal has several educational institution  which train a competent and versatile workforce.

In 2007, university disciplines specialized in agri-food represented nearly 1,000 enrolled students and 200 recent graduates.

R&D

Greater Montréal and its surroundings group together more than a dozen public and quasi-public research centres linked to the food processing sector. The majority are located in the city of Saint-Hyacinthe, a food science park located 45 minutes from Montréal. The principal centres are: 

• The Food Research and Development Center (FRDC) of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC)
• The Research and Development Institute for the Agri-Environment
• The Centre for Agri-Food Technology Innovation (CINTECH)
• The Farm at the Macdonald campus of McGill University

Incentives

The governments of Canada and Québec offer numerous tax incentives to companies in the agri-food sectors, including up to 20% in tax credits for R&D from the federal government, and 17.5% from the Québec government.

In addition to the tax credits for R&D, numerous other financial and tax incentives are offered to companies. Please contact us to determine if you are eligible for one of the following programs:

• Financial aid for the creation of jobs and training
• Tax holidays for foreign experts and researchers
• Investment plan feasibility study
• Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)
• Strategic Investment Support Program [Programme d’appui stratégique à l’investissement (PASI)]
• Economic Projects Support Program [Programme de soutien aux projets économiques (PSPE)]
• PR@M Industry

Costs

In the agri-food sector, Greater Montréal offers operating costs that are among the most competitive in North America. According to the study Competitive Choices conducted by KPMG in 2008, Greater Montréal ranks 2nd in the top 20 largest metropolitan regions of North America in the food processing sector, taking into account labour costs, industrial and office space costs and energy costs.
 

Key leaders

• Danone Canada
• Industrie Lassonde
• Kraft Canada
• Labatt
• Molson
• Nestlé
• Parmalat
• Saputo