May 10^th, 2006 – For immediate release

 

News Release

Agri-Food Laboratories purchased by AgriTrace International

 

Dale and Karon Cowan are pleased to announce that they have sold their shares in Agri-Food Laboratories of Guelph, Ontario to AgriTrace International, a division of BIO.

 

“The primary objective of this transaction is to provide a growth opportunity for our customers and employees,” states Dale Cowan, “by strengthening the business environment through quality products and services”.

 

Dale Cowan will stay with the company as General Manager of Lab Services. “The current employee structure that customers have known all these years will stay intact,” states Cowan, “They are vital to providing the quality of service that is our trade mark and one that customers have come to expect”.

 

“This acquisition strengthens our ‘one-stop’ services approach to agri-information” states Elaine Graham, General Manager of AgriTrace, “Agri-Food Laboratories is a ‘best of breed’ service team and AgriTrace is pleased to add its employees and customers to the group”.

 

Agri-Food Laboratories was started in 1984 by Griffith Laboratories and purchased in 1990 by Dale and Karon Cowan. A commitment to meeting the needs of clients with superior lab services has been the long term vision and focus. AgriTrace recognizes these traits and is poised to build on that success and propel Agri-Food Laboratories forward. The expansion of the current scope of services including the GIS Mapping and Dispatch Centers and the development of new, novel and exciting service opportunities for clients will continue the tradition of innovation and industry leadership.

AgriTrace International, a division of Beef Improvement Ontario, is a Canadian business focused upon providing information products and services to the agricultural sector in Canada and worldwide. Current activities include livestock traceability and genetic evaluation services that support market access, animal health and food safety initiatives in North and South America.    

 If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.