Work with the Saskatchewan government is “urgently progressing,” AAFC says
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The federal government is working with Saskatchewan’s provincial government on a livestock support package.
Farms.com contacted Minister MacAulay’s office following the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association letter to him urging the federal government to come up with its share of AgriRecovery support after the provincial government stepped up with $70 million in funding.
An Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) spokesperson provided Farms.com with the following response:
“Our thoughts are with farmers and ranchers right across the country who have been affected by extreme weather, drought conditions, and wildfires over the past number of months. We have worked quickly with the Government of Saskatchewan on a joint AgriRecovery assessment to examine the impacts of the drought.
“Work with the province is urgently progressing to finalize the AgriRecovery process and to determine additional support required to cover the extraordinary costs incurred by producers. We will continue to support our agricultural producers and ranchers facing droughts and other extreme weather events, to mitigate their impacts and adopt innovative new technologies to be better prepared for them in the future.”
The AAFC response also highlighted the Livestock Tax Deferral provision and other business risk management programs available to farmers.
And while cattle producers await the federal government’s support, another segment of Saskatchewan’s ag population is wondering if they’ll receive any assistance from any level of government.
Saskatchewan’s pork sector has also experienced increased production costs.
This includes feed, labour and transportation. But the industry was left out of the provincial government’s announcement.
“The fact that a separate program even needs to be developed and announced for cattle just highlights how ineffective AgriStability is, along with farm support programs, in helping these types of situations,” Toby Tschetter, chair of the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, told paNOW.com.