N.S. government spending $1.5M on programs to support local beef

Cattle in Nova Scotia are pictured. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia)

The Nova Scotia government is spending $1.5 million on two programs that aim to support the local beef industry.

The Nova Scotia Beef Finishing Equipment Support program will provide funding for tools to allow producers to give cattle optimal rations for converting feed into weight gain.

The Nova Scotia Beef Processing program will help new and current abattoir owners to buy infrastructure and equipment for increasing beef processing.

The province is spending $750,000 on each program, according to a news release. Perennia, a food development agency, will administer the programs.

“We want to make sure producers have the support for the facilities, equipment and training they need to raise and process their cattle here at home and to make beef an affordable first choice for Nova Scotia consumers,” said Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow in the release. “These programs respond directly to what we’ve heard from industry, so they can produce more high-quality local beef.”

According to the government, there are more than 360 licensed beef producers and eight provincially-owned community pastures in Nova Scotia. The province’s beef was valued at roughly $48 million in 2025.

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