Ottawa is making $219 million available for farmers in B.C., Saskatchewan and Alberta
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The federal government has rolled out its support package for Western Canadian livestock producers affected by drought and wildfires.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet with farmers and producers from across Western Canada and they’ve shared just how challenging this growing season has been for their operations,” Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay said on Oct. 20. “With a federal investment of $219 million through AgriRecovery, we’re helping them recover so they can continue to feed Canada, and the world.”
Farmers in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan are eligible to receive support.
The federal government will provide 60 per cent of funding and the provinces will be responsible for the remaining 40 per cent, as outlined in the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
Here’s how the support allotments break down.
Livestock farmers in B.C. will have access to up to $71 million ($42.6 million from Ottawa and $28.4 million from the provincial government.)
Producers in Alberta will have $165 million ($99 million from Ottawa and $66 million from Premier Danielle Smith’s government) available to them.
And livestock producers in Saskatchewan will have access to $77 million ($46.2 from the federal government and $30.8 million from Premier Moe’s government).
Some producers are questioning the math.
In Saskatchewan, for example, the provincial government announced $70 million in support for livestock farmers and said producers could receive up to $200 per head through the province’s AgriRecovery program.
Through the recently announced federal program, the payment is up to $150 per head.
That leaves a discrepancy, said Grant McLellan, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association.
“When you take the federal and provincial dollars – somewhere between $160 and $165 a head, if you work that math out. With that $150 initially, that means there’s about $15 per head that’s still out there and we don’t have details on exactly how that’s going to be distributed or who’s going to be received that funding, but we expect to be having conversations again with the provincial government as this plan rolls out,” he told 620 CKRM.